Pokemon: Anomaly of the Arceus
by OneTenthTeej
Summary: Kyle Parker lives in an ordinary world. But when plants and animals transformed into creatures people decided to call Pokémon, everything changed. A scenario of the world today being introduced to Pokemon.
1. Introduction

**Hello!**

**This is my own original Pokémon adventure with my own OCs and semi-original plot. I've added a few things that are not a part of the original games to make the story more entertaining and interesting.**

**This fic is based off an idea involving Pokémon being introduced to people in the present time.**

**This part is simply an introduction; the characters will be introduced next. ****Segments will be released within 1-2 weeks of each other.**

**The story starts off a little bit slow so I can introduce the characters and the plot, but I promise it gets much better. The story will begin to pick up around Chapter 5.**

**Sorry if I missed any errors in my proofreading.**

**I don't own Pokémon.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Introduction**

* * *

_It is rather lonely, up here. Boring, too. _

_Time also grows thinner._

_I have waited long enough. It is time to test these humans. _

* * *

It happened in the year 2016. Scientists didn't know how to explain the phenomenon that had come from the sky. It could only be described as a ray of light that held unexplainable power. It was a pure white color, no saturation at all.

It descended onto the surface of the Earth before expanding like a tidal wave. It enveloped everything, large and small, living and nonliving. It filled in every crevice in the Earth until it could expand no more. Humans, plants, and animals were covered in light. Many were scared for their lives, though in reality, they had no reason to be. For a moment, everything was a clean white.

Then it dissipated. It was gone just as quickly as it had come. It didn't go back into the sky; some people had said that the Earth itself or the people living on it absorbed its substance. It hadn't been painful, and some people said they couldn't use any of their other four senses besides sight to describe what the light was. Of course, except for those who were attention leeches.

For the next few days, the event was all over the news in every nation. Scientists and amateurs alike drew theories on what it was and where it had come from. Nobody could say for certain what the light was, however.

But then, after just a few days, something would happen that would change the course of humankind.

Animals and plants all over the world began to transform. They still looked mostly the same, but many had changed a small amount in physical appearance and greatly in color. Some animals, like rats, grew to much larger sizes. Many also developed certain abilities. Lizards could breathe fire like a dragon, and turtles could shoot jets of water from their mouths at a remarkable pressure. Some grew wings and flew, despite being much too heavy for such a feat to be even possible.

There was no need to question what had caused this. Everyone knew that whatever had come from the sky had something to do with all of it. Many scientists soon gave up any chance of finding the origin of the white light, what they had given the name the Arceus, the Latin root for "secret" and the Greek root for "beginning." Instead, they decided to focus on the new species that had been created.

Some animals and all of humankind had not been affected by the Arceus. Those that were affected were called Mon, after what many individuals in Japan had started to call them. They had called the creatures "monsuta," which meant "monster." Those in other countries had shortened the word to simply Mon.

Scientists were fascinated by Mon. They found in their research that it was completely impossible for any Mon to be killed by forceful means, though they could still be hurt and injured. The only way for a Mon to die, the had found, was for it to live out its lifespan, which the Arceus had increased. The scientists also discovered certain chemicals that could heal Mon from any injury in an instant. The militaries around the world immediately relished the idea of an invincible army when they heard this, and people became worried about their security. If someone came to rob or kill them with a Mon, what could they do to fight back?

Before anything was decided, scientists from around the world realized they would have to work together in order to ensure the safety of Mon and the safety of those who would be threatened by the use of Mon. These scientists banded together to form the Counsel of Mon Professors. This organization had the intent of caring for and protecting all Mon and making sure that their power didn't end up in the wrong hands.

For many months, life went on. The CMP claimed all rights to Mon and created facilities around the world where they could study and protect them. The CMP discovered many more aspects of Mon, including a new growth pattern. Scientists observed how sometimes, when Mon fought with each other, that they would grow stronger and learn new abilities. Some, when they had grown a lot, changed form, a process the CMP called evolution. One scientist remarked that the spectacle was similar to something straight out of a video game, which caused the growth system of Mon to be called, "experience."

All of the CMP's findings were posted online on their main website. People commented all the time, and many developed unique ideas. One even posted an article toying with the idea of Mon being pitted against each other in friendly competitions among people who trained them. This idea received massive positivity, and soon the CMP found themselves being bombarded with requests to make this dream a reality.

The CMP was worried about the issues involving crime and war, but international tension was fairly low, and one scientist suggested providing Mon to the police so they could help prevent crime. This was also a grand opportunity to gather even more information. Soon, the entire CMP was in agreement. Mon would be distributed to the people of the world for them to train and care for. It would take a lot of work and a lot of legal battles, but they could make it happen. The final question that arose was, how will Mon have their ownership declared?

One scientist had a solution. She discovered a way to manipulate the molecules and cells of a Mon to a size that could fit in your pocket. She called his invention the Poke ball, from the words "pocket" and "ball." The Poke ball was a device that registered itself to any wild or unclaimed Mon. It could use the latest technology to shrink the cells of the Mon, fitting it snugly inside the device. The Poke ball had a fingerprint scanner on it that unlocked it, which was indicated by the ball itself enlarging. Only after would the ball be unlocked that the Mon inside it could be released. The only one opening the Poke ball would be the one registered to it. The CMP was thrilled with this advancement, so much so that they decided to classify Mon as "Pokémon" instead and change their name to the CPP.

After a little more than a year, the CPP managed to get approval for their idea from multiple governments around the world. The CPP opened up a site where people who wished to be "Pokémon trainers," could enter their names and addresses. The CPP would send one free Poke ball with a Pokémon inside it so trainers could get started. More Poke balls and supplies such as potions would be sold at convenience stores around the world.

Finally, in the fall of 2019, the CPP distributed its Pokémon around the world, and let out many into the wild for the trainers to catch.

The story begins here...


	2. Beginnings

**Beginnings**

* * *

_It has been three years._

_ The three years after I came from the sky bearing gifts, I have waited still._

_Finally, they shall realize what it means to be one with a Pokemon._

_I shall now watch from above, waiting for the True Champion._

_Good luck to all of them._

* * *

The early light of dawn crept through a window on medium-sized house placed on a rather quiet street. The window belonged to the room of Kyle Parker, a young, short, and thin youth. The morning sunlight pushed on Kyle's eyelid's forcing them to open. He groaned and turned over in his bed, away from the light. The blinds weren't usually open in the morning; Kyle didn't like anything disturbing his sleep, as his insomnia kept him awake too much anyway.

Kyle's room was strewn with thick books and dirty clothes. The books were all about the research the CPP had done on Pokemon thus far. They each focused on a different topic, such as experience, evolution, and type. There was a desk in one corner of the room with even more books piled on it. Papers with handwritten theories on the Arceus were scattered about the surface of the desk as well. The papers flapped a little bit from the spinning of the ceiling fan.

_Five more minutes,_ Kyle thought sleepily.

Then he heard the sound of a car outside on the street and remembered why he had kept the blinds open in the first place.

Kyle suddenly sprung out of bed and to his feet, a fool's grin spreading across his face. He took off the shorts he had worn to bed and quickly pulled on his jeans and t-shirt. He didn't take the time to put on socks, shoes, or a jacket, despite how cold it was outside. Kyle fell against the door stumbling to pull his blue jeans over his legs. He finished putting them and yanked the door open. He ran through the hallway and jumped down the stairs toward the front door. Kyle could hear his older sister grumbling from another room. The amount of noise he was making had woken her up.

Even though he was almost 16, Kyle felt like a child. The smile he had adopted earlier was still strewn across his face. As exited his house through the front door and leaped off his front porch. The cold bit into his bare arms and feet, but Kyle didn't care. He was much too excited to care about a mere chill. Nobody was exiting their houses yet; most cars were still in driveways. It was still very early and almost everyone on Kyle's street didn't have a job that required them to be up before six o'clock. It was just around half-past five.

The vehicle he had heard was the one he had been expecting. A postal truck was positioned in front of his mailbox, the mailman holding a package in his arms. He smiled at Kyle and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think I would survive to see the day you were up this early, and not because your sister dragged your ass out of bed," the mailman said. Kyle called him Mr. Roberts. He was an aged man who had been delivering the mail to his house ever since Kyle's family had moved in. Kyle had never seen anyone else deliver a package on his street.

Kyle laughed, breathing hard from his bursts of movement. "Well, I guess it's just an exciting day, isn't it?"

Mr. Roberts smiled even more. "That it is," he said. "In fact, I received a little gift for myself too." He pointed in the direction of one of the other houses.

Kyle turned in the direction Mr. Roberts was pointing and saw a small, plump, red and white bird standing on two legs and carrying a small white sack. It was walking to different mailboxes to take packages and letters out of its sack and place them inside of the mailbox.

"A Delibird!" Kyle exclaimed.

"Yep!" Mr. Roberts said. "But I call him Deli for short. He came in along with the other packages of Pokemon, except that one was addressed to me. Been helping me out a lot. These legs don't work as well as they used to." He turned back to Kyle. "Anyway, I'm excited to see what you get! I got a lot of packages to deliver, so show me your Pokemon when I come back!"

Delibird finished delivering the other packages and finally came to Kyle's house. It took two small packages out of its sack and handed them to Kyle with its beak curved into a smile. With that, Mr. Roberts climbed back into his truck and waited for Delibird to rush inside and hop in the passenger seat. Kyle waved as he watched the truck go around the corner and out of his view.

Kyle rushed back inside his house, up the stairs, and into his room, leaving the package marked "Chelsey Parker" by his sister's closed door. He set the brown box on his desk and furiously tore it open, though careful not to break anything inside. He stopped when he saw the red of the surface of the Poke ball. He carefully wrapped his hand around it and pulled it out of the box. He examined it with awe.

Kyle had kept up with everything there was to keep up with on Pokemon. Ever since they had begun to appear, he had been fascinated with their existence. He devoted himself to learning everything he could about them. He had even wanted to try and become a part of the CPP, though his sister told him he was too young. But Kyle could tell that she wanted to become a proffessor too.

Kyle had spent all of his time after school browsing the CPP website. He looked at plenty of theories on what the Arceus was and what Pokemon were, though he never posted his own theories. He was too self-conscious.

When Kyle saw the findings on experience points and evolution, to Kyle it looked like something from a video game. He imagined people training and using Pokemon as their champions and friends, leveling them up through battle and becoming the strongest. Kyle then saw a post that was a perfect copy of what he had been thinking. He immediately gave support to it, and millions of people followed suit. He had hoped, but he had never actually thought the CPP would agree to it.

The CPP opened a website for people to register as trainers, and Kyle was one of the first to register. Registering would allow the CPP to send you a newly hatched, randomly selected Pokemon. You would train it from the beginning. Kyle then waited for more than a year for his dream to become a reality. Now it was finally time to meet his first Pokemon.

He could hardly wait any longer. He pressed his thumb against the button against the half-white, half-red device. The ball enlarged, showing it was unlocked.

_This is it, _he thought, bracing himself. He pressed the button again. The Poke ball popped open. Kyle expected a noise. He expected a flash of light. This is what research on how a Pokeball functioned told Kyle to expect. He received neither of these.

Nothing happened. There was no Pokemon that emerged from the Poke ball. Nothing. The room had as much in it as it had ten seconds before. Confused, Kyle took a look inside of the device. Instead of a Pokemon, he found a folded piece of paper. He grabbed it between his fingers and unraveled it.

It was a note. It read:

_Mr. Parker_

_We regret to inform you that you will not be receiving a Pokemon at this time. There were simply too many trainers that wanted to register, and not enough newly hatched Pokemon to go around. The donation you provided was less than what others were willing to offer, and so they were prioritized ahead of you. We are deeply sorry. If you wish, you may return to our website next season and try again so that you may receive a Pokemon after more have been hatched. You are still a registered trainer, so you may alternatively use this Poke ball we have provided to attempt to capture your own Pokemon._

_Sincerely,_

_Mark Aspen_

_Counsel of Pokemon Professors_

A cold wave washed over Kyle. _A donation? I don't remember seeing and option to give a donation! _From the hallway, he could hear the sound of a Poke ball opening and Chelsey gasping in delight. Kyle's heart sank. Chelsey had received a Pokemon. They had denied him and accepted her. Kyle ran his fingers through his messy light brown hair. The amount of frustration in his skull could not be described. He would have to wait until next season until he received a Pokemon.

Kyle knew he wouldn't be able to catch a Pokemon. There weren't enough in this area, and he'd need help to get it week enough to catch, and he didn't want help catching his first Pokemon.

Kyle flopped back onto his bed and put his face in his hands. _I'll be so far behind. By winter, everyone will have leveled up their Pokemon by at least fifteen. I won't be able to face any of them. How will my Pokemon get any experience points? There aren't enough Pokemon in the wild, and I also don't want to have to go around bullying Pokémon without any trainers to care for them. _

_What am I going to do?_


	3. So, You Didn't Get One?

p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"span style="font-weight: bold;"So, You Didn't Get One?/span/p  
hr style="margin: 5px 0px; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0% 100%, 100% 100%, from(#ffffff), color-stop(0.1, #cbcbcb), color-stop(0.9, #cbcbcb), to(#ffffff)); color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"span style="font-style: italic;"The truest of champions are not simply /spangiven span style="font-style: italic;"the means to become so. /span/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"span style="font-style: italic;"They must seize the means with their own hands./span/p  
hr style="margin: 5px 0px; background-color: #cbcbcb; background-image: -webkit-gradient(linear, 0% 100%, 100% 100%, from(#ffffff), color-stop(0.1, #cbcbcb), color-stop(0.9, #cbcbcb), to(#ffffff)); color: #000000; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;" noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle sat at the kitchen table eating the omelet Chelsey had made him. She was currently at the stove working on her own breakfast. Her Pokemon was happily eating every fruit there had been in the refrigerator. It sat across the table from Kyle, juices from the apple in hand dribbling down its front./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"The Pokemon his sister had received was a Munchlax. A fairly decent Pokemon to receive, it was sure to be a lot more powerful than the average Pidgey or Starly ended up to be. Chelsey was fortunate and Kyle was truly envious of her. He'd give anything to have received that Munchlax instead of her. But Kyle knew it was selfish of him, and he wanted to be happy for Chelsey. She had wanted a Pokemon as much as he had./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle had showered and dressed after his disappointing tragedy. His hair was still a mess; he never bothered with it. No matter what Kyle did, it would always end up sticking out in every direction. It was one of the things Kyle wished he could change about his appearance./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Chelsey finished cooking her omelet and transferred it from pan to plate before heading to the kitchen table to join Kyle. Like Kyle, she had showered and dressed before coming downstairs to cook breakfast. However, she had also done her hair into a ponytail that stopped between her shoulder blades. She wore her standard outfit; a pair of blue skinny jeans with a green top that exposed her shoulders, yet kept the rest of her arm covered./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Alright, I'm dying to know!" Chelsey began, her green eyes luminous as always. "What did you get? I haven't seen it yet!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle's mood darkened once again. Chelsey apparently noticed, for she tilted her head and asked with concern, "Hey, what's the matter?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle hadn't yet told his sister about the note. He was hoping to avoid it for as long as possible. So much for that./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""They didn't give me one," Kyle said, trying to keep his tone from expressing any of his frustration or sadness./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Chelsey looked baffled. "What? They can do that?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Apparently," Kyle responded. "They sent me a note saying that people who made donations were put ahead of others. I didn't even see an option for a donation."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Oh, no," Chelsey said. "Well, you don't have to worry. We wouldn't have been able to donate anyway, seeing the condition we're in right now." She glanced at her Munchlax. "But I mean, if you want-"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""No," Kyle said a little more forcefully than he intended. "It's fine. I don't want your Pokemon. That Munchlax is yours." He needed to change the subject. Kyle noticed the lack of sounds of movement in the room above the kitchen. His mother was still asleep./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Another late night?" Kyle asked./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Chelsey looked up and sighed. "I guess so. She really shouldn't work herself so hard." Kyle nodded./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle's father had left the family when Kyle was about ten. No words, no notice, just up and gone. Afterward, the family didn't have a reliable source of income, so Kyle's mother had to find work. It was difficult for her since she had only spent about two years in college. She spent the next five years jumping between jobs, looking for any way she could to make money./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"When Chelsey was old enough to start working, she immediately went out to look for a job. Soon, Kyle would need to look for a job as well. The family had enough money to get by, but only barely. It was already decided that Chelsey most likely wouldn't be able to go to college after she graduated. There just wasn't enough money./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle had actually been hoping to try and make money from Pokemon battles. No chance for that now, though./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle finished his omelet and stood. He walked to the sink, where he scrubbed his plate clean before putting it inside one of the kitchen cabinets. He glanced at the clock. It was six-thirty, time to leave for school./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Hey, Chelsey," Kyle said. "You ready?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Chelsey finished her omelet as well and stood to clean her dish. "Yeah," she said. After she had washed her plate and put it away, she returned Munchlax to its Poke ball./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Do you know if they're allowing Pokemon at school?" Chelsey asked./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""I'm pretty sure," Kyle responded. "The said they could be brought in, but only let out of their Poke balls under specific circumstances. That rule might change if a lot of people start letting them out in the halls."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""I hope people won't be dumbasses," Chelsey said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""It'd be a wonder if they weren't though, wouldn't it be?" Kyle remarked./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Chelsey laughed. "I guess you're right." The two grabbed their backpacks and Kyle put on his dark gray jacket before exiting their house through the front door. They stepped off the front porch to get to the car, Chelsey's 2006 Mazda 3. It wasn't too flashy or up to date, but it certainly got the job done./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"As they pulled out of the driveway, Kyle turned on the radio. He turned the channel to a local news station, where - of course - they were talking about Pokemon./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""So, Denice," One of the reporters was saying, "Are the rumors true? I've heard that there have been sightings of a few wild Pokemon in our area!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""That's correct, Paul!" the other one said. "There have been plenty of people who say that they've seen a few Pokemon around here. Some have even been able to get some photos. According to those who've seen them, they don't appear to be high in experience, so trainers who didn't get a Pokemon should definitely keep an eye out!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Should we give our listeners a little tip?" Paul asked Denice./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Certainly!" Denice said. "I have a list of some of the Pokemon who have been seen, along with the neighborhood they were last seen in. They are as follows:"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle listened intently, his hope and excitement renewed. If there were around at least five to ten in his area, he might have a chance of catching them before someone else could beat him to it./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""A few Pidgey, a Bidoof, and an Abra were all seen in Redvale. Two Starlys and a Bulbasaur were seen in Two Lakes. A Pupitar, an Elekid, three Ekans, and an Eevee were all seen in Maiden Hills. Lucky for them! Those can become fairly powerful I've heard!/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Finally, all Sale Woods had was a single Pichu, though I've heard that's a nice one as well! I'm sure everyone in Sale Woods will be competing to find that Pichu. Good luck Trainers!" With that, Kyle switched the radio to music./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle felt a load of discouragement. He lived in Sale Woods. span style="font-style: italic;"Only a single Pichu?/span Kyle wondered. span style="font-style: italic;"I definitely won't be able to catch that with the number of trainers here./span He had been a fool to get his hopes up again./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"His sister must have read his thoughts. "Hey, cheer up. I bet you'll have a Pokemon before you know it. "/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""Yeah, okay," Kyle said, though he appreciated his sister for trying to comfort him./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Thirty minutes later, after they pulled into a parking space at school and exited the car, Kyle shouldered the straps of his backpack and headed through the main doors. As he walked through the halls, the only thing he heard people talking about was Pokemon. People were boasting about their supposedly all-powerful Pokemon, arranging battles for later, and even discussing a trade./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"As Kyle walked into his classroom, he saw a large group surrounding one of the desks. He approached in the hopes of getting a better look. Beyond the heads of the group and standing on Jordan Mallack's desk was a Chimchar standing tall and proud. Next to it was Jordan himself, bragging about his Pokemon./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""I'm telling you," he was saying, "I'm going to be the champion of the whole damn school with this Pokemon! No one can stand against me while I have Fireball on my side!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle scoffed. It was likely that a Chimchar wouldn't be the best a student at this school had. Jordan could at least become familiar with what others received before making a statement so bold./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Jordan turned his head in his direction and frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Oh? Do I see someone who thinks I'm incorrect?" All heads turned towards Kyle. Jordan smiled smugly and crossed his arms. "Well then, Parker, enlighten us. Show us!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"It was Kyle's turn to frown. "Show you what?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Jordan's smug grin grew even more. "Why your Pokemon, of course! Surely, if you were to make such a noise, it would be because you have a Pokemon that you foolishly think could beat my own! So I'm asking you to display it here!/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Kyle clenched his fist, and Jordan continued to smile. Kyle could lie and say he hadn't brought his Pokemon with him, or he could say he didn't want to disobey the rules that state you have to keep your Pokemon in its Poke ball during school hours. But that would only result in putting pressure on himself. As hard as it was, telling the truth was best./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;""I didn't get one," Kyle said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"Jordan laughed, and it made Kyle's skin crawl. "You don't have one? Ha! Then what right do you have to scoff at me! Your opinions are invalid! Go find someone else to bother with your silly opinions! I have not the time nor energy to deal with it."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"A few people snickered at Kyle, and the Chimchar was making noises that resembled laughter. Kyle backed away from the crowd and sat at his desk./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 14.399999618530273px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"span style="font-style: italic;"Today,/span Kyle thought, span style="font-style: italic;"definitely won't be my brightest./span/p 


	4. Mundanity

**Mundanity**

* * *

_I've been thinking about it ever since I came down from the sky._

_What if I added an anomaly?_

_Would it predetermine my True Champion and take everything away from the Contest?_

_No, there is a way I can avoid that._

_Yes, that could work._

_It is decided then._

* * *

"He's such a dick."

"Pretty much."

Kyle sat at a desk in a different classroom than that of his first period. It was now lunchtime; around 4 hours had passed since his incident with Jordan. The teacher had come in soon after and yelled at Jordan for having his Pokemon out of its Poke ball, and Kyle was happy that he was able to get a good chuckle out of it. Both Jordan and the teacher had glared at him for it.

Kyle's best and only friend, Carol, who had just called Jordan a dick after hearing about his earlier actions, sat across from Kyle at another desk. She had a slim figure and a lack of breasts and butt that made other girls tease her and boys avoid her. She often made Kyle laugh by saying, "They're just jealous of these jugs." She had long, straight blonde hair that hung loose and rested on her shoulders. Her eyes were the color of coffee beans.

A lot of people asked Kyle if he and Carol were in a relationship, which wasn't the case. They had gone to the same middle school when neither of them had any friends. They were given a group project to complete together, which is how they met and became friends.

Neither of them really wanted to pursue a relationship right now, of that Kyle was sure. Even though he thought Carol was pretty and nice, Kyle didn't want to ruin their friendship by showing Carol how awful of a boyfriend he would make.

Carol was eating her usual tuna fish sandwich, the stench of which filled Kyle's nostrils like mucus when he had a stuffy nose. Even if he had anything to eat with him, Kyle didn't think he would be able to consume anything while Carol was eating that sandwich.

"You know, you haven't been bringing anything to eat for lunch lately," Carol said. She stopped eating to hold up her dark red lunchbox. "Do you want any?"

Kyle held up his hand. "No thanks. Though I appreciate it."

Carol returned to eating her sandwich. "So," she said between bites, "It's not getting better?"

She was referring to Kyle's family's financial situation. "We're hanging in there," Kyle said.

Carol nodded. "That's good enough for now, I guess."

Kyle took out his phone and began browsing the web. Carol hadn't asked him anything about Pokemon yet. She was the first person today Kyle talked to that didn't bring up Pokemon within the first few sentences of conversation. Kyle knew She hadn't received a Pokemon either. They had texted each other during first period. Kyle assumed that both of them were too upset to talk about it at the moment.

He assumed wrongly. "I'm going to catch a Pokemon today," Carol said.

Kyle sighed as he looked up from his phone. "How?" He asked.

"Simple," Carol said confidently. "We still received Poke balls, and my little brother got a Pokemon of his own. All we have to do is find that Pichu that was spotted here, have his Pokemon weaken it, then use my Pokeball to catch it!"

"You're rather optimistic," Kyle said. "I'd bet practically everyone in Sale Woods - Hell, maybe even people outside of Sale Woods - will be trying to find that Pichu. What makes you think you'll be the one to catch it?"

Carol grumbled. "_You're_ rather pessimistic," She said.

"I prefer realistic."

"Look, there's not really any point in standing around and letting it get caught by some other trainer. And after I catch it, I can get you one too!"

"No," Kyle said. "I don't want any help."

"You do realize that by receiving a Pokemon from the CPP, you're receiving help?"

Kyle scowled at his friend while Carol shrugged and said, "Just saying."

* * *

In PE, Kyle's final period for the day, the students were told not to put on uniforms. Many students were excited about this. Rumors had been going around that during PE, people would be able to participate in Pokemon battles.

It seems this was truly the case. The teacher informed Kyle's class that people could battle anyone they wished. Students without Pokemon could use one of the school-owned Pokemon they had acquired that day. Kyle looked over the rack of Poke balls that had been carried out. They were completely gray rather than red and white, and the words "school property" were printed on them.

Some students took these Poke balls and opened them to see what kind of Pokemon they held. It was mostly Pidgeys, Rattatas, Bidoofs, Starlys, and occasionally Spearows. All of them were weak normal types. Kyle expected as much.

More students started to borrow Pokemon to use in battles. Only a small few hadn't grabbed any, including Kyle. People might call him weird, picky, or even crazy, but he wanted the first Pokemon he used to be his own. Using a school-owned Pokemon that he'd never take home wouldn't cut it.

Therefore, Kyle simply stood by and watched as everyone else battled. Jordan easily beat everyone else with his Chimchar and was bragging the whole time. Some other trainers with their own Pokemon obviously won many more battles than they lost. However, one trainer with a borrowed Starly only lost to Jordan, which surprised everyone.

Few people paid mind to Kyle; they were too busy battling to be bothered by him. A few people asked him if he wanted to battle, but he refused and said he didn't feel well. Once class was over, Kyle was just about ready to run in order to get away. He burst through the main doors of the school as part of the large wave of other students trying to get home. Kyle's sister left school early in order to be able to work longer at her job. He would have to take the bus.

On the bus, Kyle thought about the plan he had made to make his family money. Once he had received a Pokemon, he would have needed to dedicate all of his time to training it. Once they were ready, the would have participated in Pokemon tournaments. Eventually, someone would have hosted one and offered prize money for first place. Kyle could have won the money from tournaments. He knew it had been mainly fantasy since it was very unlikely that he'd become a better trainer than everyone else in his area. But of course, he'd had a better chance then than he did now. Currently, his plan was ruined.

Deep in thought and disappointment, he almost missed his stop. Kyle stood and slung his backpack around himself. As Kyle was walking down the bus aisle, he almost tripped on Jordan's outstretched leg. Kyle glared at him, and Jordan sneered. Kyle stepped off the bus and watched as it drove away and out of sight.

Kyle began to walk home. For a reason that was beyond him, Kyle's bus dropped him off a mile from his house. He had tried once to reason with the bus driver but was only met with "Sorry kid, I don't make the rules."

He could deal with it most days. The walk gave him time to think. Right now, Kyle didn't really want to think, so the walk was quite undesirable to him.

While today had not been Kyle's best, it was not far off from a normal one. This is why he could not have been prepared for what happened next. Something in the sky caught his eye, and he stopped walking in order to focus on it.

A circle of white light was forming up above the neighborhood. He was certain that it was not the Sun; it was too big from his perspective and it wouldn't be in that position at three o'clock. Actually, it looked identical to the pictures Kyle had seen of the Arceus from years ago.

As Kyle watched, the shape began to expand until it took up an area, Kyle guessed, about the size of a house. People came out of their houses to catch a better glimpse of the circle. About ten people on the street were now watching and waiting for something else to happen.

Soon, the light began to descend like a waterfall, making a purely white cylinder in the sky. It evaded Kyle's sight as it neared the ground; trees and homes blocked the view. But Kyle soon saw it again as it enveloped nearby houses and flowed over everything in its path, including people. It reached Kyle, harmlessly washing over him. For a moment, he couldn't see anything, though his body felt as it had before the light had touched him.

Kyle didn't make any movements. He simply stood there and accepted the peaceful onslaught of the light. He was still confused, but he also wasn't afraid. He had, after all, experienced this before around three years ago. This time, however, something different happened.

Kyle couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw something in the whiteness. It was difficult to make out, but Kyle could tell it was quadrupedal, and it had something around its waist that resembled a spiked collar one put on a dog. Kyle couldn't see the specifics, but that was his best way to describe it, except the spikes were at least four feet long. Its structure looked very similar to that of a Pokemon. Could it be one?

Before he could think about it too much, the creature was gone in an instant. It disappeared into the light, which was then absorbed back into the sky. There was no sign of what he had seen anywhere, nor any signs that the light had come down. It was as if nothing had ever happened.

People on the street were getting excited, and some were taking out their phones to make calls or take pictures to post on social media. Kyle still stood immobile on the street, too dumbfounded to move.

_What's going on?_ Kyle thought.


	5. Anomaly

**Anomaly**

* * *

_The anomaly is not an advantage; it simply makes the Contest more interesting. _

_It takes root in one that is normally very weak, but the anomaly makes it so that they can become one of the strongest._

_But, this is only if they learn to use the anomaly's power and exploit it to their benefit. _

_I am curious to see how this turns out._

* * *

Leaves crunched under Kyle's Nike shoes as he darted around the trees of the woods. Navigating Sale Woods at this speed required agility, precision, and balance. One misstep and Kyle could find himself slamming into the firm wood of a tree. Leaves could slip out from under him and he'd hit the ground. Kyle was proud to think about how good he was at staying on his feet while running here, even with a backpack constantly trying to throw him off balance.

Kyle usually didn't have to run through the woods to get home. In fact, he was currently moving away from his house. Kyle was traveling towards the location in which he had seen the other Arceus that had come down only a few minutes earlier; it had seemed that it would take only about five or ten minutes to get there if he ran.

_I actually wished I missed my stop, _Kyle thought as he jumped over a large tree root. _I would've gotten there faster since it was heading in that direction._

These woods were the reason for the name "Sale Woods." There were many smaller areas of trees, but the area Kyle was in was the biggest mass of trees in the neighborhood.

_Come to think of it,_ Kyle thought, _This would be a good place for a Pichu to be. I should keep an eye out for it. _

Kyle continued in a jog for the next few minutes; the long period of sprinting had tired him out. He slowed to a walk when he began to hear voices. He continued to make his way towards his destination; the voices grew louder as he did so. Kyle was soon able to make out what they were saying, and he could see four figures walking towards the location the Arceus had been in. They had the same goal as Kyle.

He tried to make out their faces but was unsuccessful due to the number of trees, bushes, and branches blocking his view. Kyle could tell at least that they seemed to be teenagers like him. They were all wearing jeans and t-shirts, save for one who wore a black jacket.

Kyle could hear one of them saying, "I think it was just right over here," while another said, "Really? I thought we still had a few more minutes of walking." Kyle didn't recognize any of these voices. He opened his mouth and was about to run over and greet the strangers when he heard one more voice.

"You're all aware that whatever we find is mine, right?"

Kyle tensed. That voice definitely belonged to Jordan. Kyle shut his mouth and quickly darted out of view. However, in his haste, he tripped over a root and fell. Kyle's body crushed the leaves, making a very audible sound. His knee hit a stone in the ground and Kyle gritted his teeth and tried not to make any more noise than he had already made.

"What was that?" One of Jordan's companions asked. Kyle crawled behind a tree and leaned up against it, pressing his back into the bark. He waited there, holding his breath. He couldn't see any of them now.

_Please just move on. Just think it was some animal._

"Don't worry about it," Jordan said. "Probably just a squirrel or something."

"I don't think squirrels can be that loud," came the response.

"What if it's a Pokemon?" Another voice said excitedly.

"I don't care what it is," Jordan said in an irritated tone. "There's no way I can get a better Pokemon than a Chimchar, and if we delay ourselves any longer we might not get there first."

"But wait, didn't you tell Adrien you'd catch a Pokemon for him?"

Jordan scowled. "Ugh, right." He paused for a moment. "Fine then. I'll keep walking and you guys can go check and look for it. It's probably gone by now anyway, but you guys can search until your small minds collapse if you want. Go ahead.

"Nah, it's fine." A new voice said. Kyle assumed it was the fourth one who had yet to speak until now. "I'll go over and check myself. If it's nothing, we can just keep going."

Kyle heard the sound of jogging and froze. He was on the brink of being discovered. Kyle could make a break for it now, but then Jordan would definitely know it had been him. He also wouldn't be able to find anything where the light had appeared. His best option was to stay put and hope he could silently convince whoever it was coming to look not to say anything.

The tempo of the steps decreased to that of a walk as someone rounded the tree. He stopped when he found Kyle, who looked up at him from a seated position. Kyle's fear was replaced by surprise. The one who faced him had blue eyes and short dark brown hair that stuck up in the front. He was also the one in the group that was wearing the black jacket. He was Kyle's classmate from school, the one who had borrowed a Starly and beaten everyone but Jordan. Kyle didn't know his name. He never really bothered to learn anyone's name unless he knew them well.

Kyle's surprise was fueled by the fact that he had never seen this boy hanging out with Jordan. He had always seemed like more of a loner who wasn't really acquainted with anybody. Kyle usually found him sitting by himself at lunch and preferring to work by himself in group projects. Kyle assumed that he was with Jordan because of his performance in Pokemon battles today.

Kyle remembered his situation and put a finger to his lips, silently pleading. The trainer - Kyle could tell that this boy had to be one - regarded Kyle with the same silence. Whatever shock Kyle had felt at seeing this boy, it seemed that it had taken him as well. He narrowed his eyes and gently closed the fists at his sides.

"Anything, Adrien?" One of Jordan's friends asked.

The trainer opened his mouth. "Nothing," he said. "Probably just a squirrel, like Jordan said."

Jordan groaned. "Come on," he said. "We've wasted too much damned time already."

Adrien - Kyle would remember that name - turned away to rejoin Jordan's group. Kyle waited until the sounds of their footsteps grew distant. He rubbed his knee. What had he bumped it against, anyway? Kyle searched the ground area next to himself until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed it and held it up.

It was shaped like an ordinary stone, except it had some differences. Its color was a cross between brown and green, and it held an imprint of a leaf on it. It looked familiar to Kyle, but he couldn't place where he might've seen it before. He thought the stone looked interesting at least, so he stuck it in his backpack to take home.

Kyle stood and peeked his head out from behind the tree. He couldn't hear the sound of leaves crunching anymore, and he couldn't see anyone else either. He stepped out and started making his way through the woods once again.

Kyle stopped when he heard a shout. He didn't move any further. Once again, he had to consider his options. The shout seemed to be fueled by surprise based on how it had sounded. It could be a danger, in which case he should run away. It could be something made by the Arceus, in which case he would want to see it.

While Kyle was thinking, he caught a glimpse of a flame in the distance accompanied by more shouting. It could only be Jordan's Chimchar unless one of his other friends also had a fire type with them.

_Idiots! _Kyle thought. He started running towards the commotion.

Jordan could possibly be setting trees on fire trying to defend himself or even worse, he could be doing it because he found a Pokemon and was trying to catch it. The latter would be way more stupid of him to do. Kyle could understand accidentally causing a fire in self-defense, but doing to try and weaken a Pokemon?

_Use scratch instead, dumbass!_ Kyle thought.

Kyle got close enough to see what was happening. Jordan stood off to the right with his friends. None of them looked frightened; in fact, all of them but Adrien had sneers painted across their faces. Only Adrien didn't have out a Pokemon. Jordan's Chimchar was spewing fire from its mouth, and a male Nidoran and a Maril stood by. Kyle guessed that they belonged to Jordan's other two friends.

"I don't need your guys' help! This one's mine!" Jordan was saying.

Kyle turned to the right. There, he saw a Pokemon trying to dart away from Jordan and his Chimchar, doing its best to dodge the Ember attacks that were setting the leaves on fire.

"Hey, careful Jordan!" One of his friends said. He ordered his Maril to put out the fires. "You'll burn the whole forest down!"

Kyle was trying to get a good look at the Pokemon. It looked like a small dog, with brown fur and a tuft of white fur around its neck, complimenting the small patch of white fur at the end of its bushy tail. Its tall ears stuck up above its head.

_An Eevee?_ Kyle thought. _Oh, wait!_

These woods were directly connected to Maiden Hills, where an Eevee had been sighted earlier today. It must have traveled to the woods from there.

The Eevee didn't look like was in good shape. It seemed to have been hit by multiple Ember attacks from Chimchar already. It was running slower than it should've been, and didn't look like it could take much more. Kyle watched as Chimchar spat out an Ember that hit the Eevee directly, making it fall to the ground. It tried to get back up but was unable to. Jordan let out a laugh of triumph.

Kyle let his instinct take over. He immediately ran towards where the Eevee had fallen and scooped it up in his arms. Jordan pointed and shouted "Hey!" as Kyle kept up his speed and jumped over a large log to take cover behind it. He landed just as an Ember passed overhead.

"What are you doing Parker!?" Jordan screamed. "That thing is mine! You can't steal it from me!"

"I'm not trying to!" Kyle shouted back, allowing himself to glance over the log at Jordan. "This Eevee's just trying to escape! Why won't you let it? You already have a Pokemon!"

"Don't you get it?" Jordan asked. "That Eevee was running away from where that glowing thing appeared! That Pokemon was just placed on this Earth for me! It probably has abilities that no other Pokemon has!"

"Wait, you want it for yourself?" Nidoran's owner asked. "What about Adrien?"

"Eh, what about him? I can give him Fireball I guess since it'll be useless to me once I manage to catch this Eevee."

Fireball was not at all pleased with this. In an instant, the Chimchar turned on its master and jumped at him, waving its sharp claws. Jordan yelped and fell to the ground. Kyle took this opportunity to dash away from the scene, bringing the injured Eevee with him. He looked back and saw Jordan's Chimchar on top of him and using Scratch over and over again. Jordan's friends were laughing at him and Adrien calmly stood by, watching Kyle as he ran away. Kyle turned back around and headed in the direction of his house.

* * *

Kyle exited the woods and vaulted over the oak fence surrounding his backyard. It had taken him a while to orientate himself and find where his house was, but he eventually found the familiar and huge oak tree near his street, so he went from there to his house.

Kyle opened the back door and stepped into the house. His shoes and clothes were a mess, but he needed to focus on helping the Eevee before he could take care of that. He carried the Pokemon through the house into the kitchen, where he set out a small towel on the counter and laid the Eevee down on top of it.

Kyle needed something to heal the Eevee. But what? He didn't have any supplies for treating Pokemon. Then he saw it. There was a bag on the dining table with a few nozzles poking through the top. Kyle went over to the bag and revealed the contents to himself.

Inside were small spray bottles of various colors. Most were purple, though there were also yellow ones and cream ones. Pokemon medicine. Kyle couldn't believe his luck. Chelsey must have bought them and brought them home before heading off to work. The potions must have been for Munchlax.

Kyle recalled that purple-colored bottles were for healing basic wounds. He grabbed one of them and took it over to Eevee. He stopped just as he was about to administer the medicine.

_This Eevee is really weak right now._ Kyle considered. _My Poke ball is just upstairs. I could run up there, grab it, come back down, and make Eevee my partner._ Kyle found himself relishing in the thought. Perhaps that was why he had brought Eevee back in the first place? Could he have wanted to steal from Jordan like that to get a Pokemon? Kyle lowered the potion.

_No!_ A stronger voice inside Kyle said. _I saved it because Jordan had badly injured it, and it had just wanted to get away. I'm going to heal it, and then I'll set it free back in the woods. Even if someone else catches it, it won't be because some idiot like me decided to betray his ideal._

Kyle strained as he applied the potion. He knew he was passing by the perfect opportunity to become a trainer, but this felt right. This was right. When he finished, there were still some burns on the Eevee, so Kyle had to grab some of the green-colored bottles to treat those. Soon, Eevee's health was back to its prime.

Kyle let himself relax and sat down on the counter next to Eevee. He looked upon it with longing, but he knew that it was best for him to let it do as it wished. As Kyle watched, the Eevee opened its eyes and sat up, looking at Kyle, who smiled kindly.

The Eevee immediately panicked and began darting all around in a frenzy of motions. Kyle yelped as it knocked over glasses and plates.

"Wait!" Kyle pleaded. "I'm not trying to harm you!"

The Eevee stopped moving. It stood its ground a few feet from where Kyle stood and leaned away from him, ready to start running whenever it felt that it was necessary. Its face held fear, but also curiosity.

Kyle waited until enough time had passed with nothing happening before speaking. "You were badly injured in the woods. I saved you from that trainer and his Chimchar before bringing you back here to nurture you back to health. I can take you back whenever you'd like. I'm here to help."

The Eevee looked like it was considering Kyle's words. It had been found by the CPP that while Pokemon could not speak, the Arceus had given them the ability to understand vocal language. They had not yet figured out how. Then again, they hadn't figured many things out about the Arceus.

The Eevee was now visibly calming down, of which Kyle was glad. Pieces of broken plates and glasses littered the wooden kitchen floor. Kyle didn't need anything else wrecked or broken.

Kyle walked toward the back door and pushed it open. He looked out beyond the fence to the woods behind his house. The brown leaves swayed a little in the light breeze, some of them falling to the ground. Kyle turned back to where the Eevee had been and found nothing.

"What the-"

He found it curled up on couch, dirt all over the cushions. It seemed very comfortable, but Kyle was very uncomfortable with the situation.

"Crap!" Kyle rushed over to the Eevee and picked it up and off the couch. These sudden movements seemed too much for it; the Pokemon kicked and made sounds the whole time, trying to escape Kyle's.

"Hey, quit it!" Kyle said. "You're getting dirt all over Mom's couch! At least let me clean you up first."

Eevee obliged to having Kyle bathe and clean it. It seemed to enjoy being clean very much since it was smiling the whole time. It was very patient with Kyle's scrubbing and cleaning. Once there was no dirt left in its coat any longer, the Eevee was ready to settle back down on the couch.

"Wait, hold on," Kyle said. "I have to clean the couch first so you don't get dirty again."

It took about an hour. Cleaning the dirt off the cushions and drying them took longer than Kyle had expected, mostly because he was terrible at it. It was worth it, though. Now his mom and his sister wouldn't scream at him for the couch. They'd only scream at him for the broken dishes.

When he was done, Kyle called out to Eevee, saying that the couch was clean. There was no response. Kyle searched the house and found Eevee sound asleep, resting on Kyle's bed. He smiled at the sight. Then he was pained at the thought of it leaving him, which he knew it would. The Poke ball was only a few steps away. He could still-

No, he couldn't. Kyle brought his backpack upstair to work on homework next to the Eevee while it slept. While he was working, the Pokemon got up and began to look around the room. Kyle stopped working when it found the Poke ball.

It was still in the box, where Kyle had left it. He went over to where Eevee was and picked up the device. Eevee cocked its head.

"It's a Poke ball," Kyle explained. "It's used to capture Pokemon. Not as slaves, but as friends to travel and train with. It's used so that people can't steal your Pokemon. Only the registered trainer can open it and release the Pokemon inside."

Eevee nudged the hand Kyle held the Poke ball with.

"What?" Kyle asked.

Eevee nudged the hand again with more force. Kyle felt a surge of hope. He wasn't quite sure what the Eevee was trying to communicate, so he would have to try and guess. He started by asking for what he desired most.

"You want me to be your trainer?" He asked carefully.

Kyle expected Eevee to run away or at least shake its head no. Instead, it smiled, nodded, shook its tail around, and bumped Kyle's hand again.

"Are you sure?"

Eevee nodded once again and closed its eyes, sitting down and stilling itself. It was waiting patiently.

More joyful than he had ever been in his entire lifetime, Kyle tapped the Poke ball once on Eevee's head.


	6. First Battle

**First Battle**

* * *

_It seems that the Anomaly has found its Champion._

_Ah, yes._

_I was able to judge that one when I descended from the sky._

_He has a strong spirit, one worthy of a candidate for the True Champion._

_A strong spirit indeed._

* * *

Kyle's phone buzzed once while he was doing homework. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and took it out to examine. He had been sent a message from Carol. He put his homework away for now and hunched over in his chair to text.

_Check it out! _She had texted. Underneath the message was a picture of her at the beach. It was still very cold outside; Carol couldn't have been at the beach to go swimming. This was not the only interesting thing about the photo, however. What was even more interesting was wrapped around Carol's neck like a scarf. It was sky blue and had a snakelike body; Kyle identified it as a Dratini. He raised his eyebrows. Dratinis, he had heard, were an especially rare Pokemon.

_How'd you manage that? _Kyle texted back.

_I was actually surprised myself, _she replied. _I was taking my little brother to the beach. He said that his friends were meeting down here to battle. I was off by myself, minding my own business and eating a snack when this little guy came out of the water and onto the shore. I was the only one around at the time. It came over next to me and prodded my hand, so I gave it some food!_

_Is it yours? _he asked.

_Not yet, _Carol texted. _But I talked to it, and it's all for being my partner. I think I'll call it Scarf!_

Kyle chuckled. _That's great. _As he sent the message, Eevee walked over to where Kyle was sitting and hopped up into his lap. Kyle raised his arms so it could get comfortable. It curled up and wrapped its tail around itself, closing its eyes.

_Hey, I have something to show you too, _Kyle texted.

_What is it?_

Kyle took a picture of the resting Eevee and sent it. He only had to wait a few seconds before Carol replied.

_OMG IT'S SO CUTE, _she texted.

_I found it today on my way home from school. I actually would like to think I saved it since Jordan and his friends were trying to capture it._

_So, you stole it? ;)_

_I prefer saved. Jordan was mistreating it and it would've been bad if he had caught it._

_Yeah, that's probably true. Anyway, I'm so happy we both got Pokemon! We'll have to battle soon! What are you going to name it?_

Kyle thought for a moment. _I honestly don't know yet, _he texted. _I'd like to get to know it better before I make a decision. For now, I guess I'll just call it Eevee._

About a half-minute went by before Carol texted again. _By the way, _she said. _Did you see the new Arceus? _

Kyle remembered the glowing circle in the sky, and the falling light that had come from it. He also remembered the creature he had seen in the light. _Yeah, I did. _Kyle texted. _I was also wondering something since it seemed smaller than last time. Did you get hit by it?_

_No, I didn't actually, which surprised me since the beach isn't that far from where it materialized. Had I been home, it probably would've hit me! I'm so upset. What about you?_

So, the Arceus _had_ been smaller. From the way things looked, it only covered Sale Woods, which was remarkably small compared to the rest of the world. So, why Sale Woods? Kyle would have to search online on whether or not other Arceus appeared somewhere around the world. He would also need to do research on that creature he had seen. It's a shame that Carol hadn't been able to see it too.

_Yeah. It was actually pretty close, _Kyle texted. _I was trying to investigate before I found Eevee. _

_Did you find anything? _

_No, I didn't. I had to heal Eevee, so I wasn't able to keep looking. Jordan probably found something though. _

_Ugh, I'd hate to think that Jordan found something related to the Arceus. But hey, maybe you did find something!_

_What do you mean?_

_Well, that Eevee was found near the Arceus, right?_

_Yeah. Jordan actually thought it was special in that way. He kept saying that the Arceus had given it special abilities or something._

_He might actually be right for once! What if that Eevee was affected by the Arceus? What if Eevee was given some awesome ability by it? _

Kyle smiled and rubbed his hand on Eevee's furry head. The Pokemon shifted a little, encouraging it. _That would be cool, but it's pretty unlikely. The Arceus wouldn't seem like something that could do that._

_Hey, you never know! I'm just giving possibilities!_

_Alright, then, _Kyle texted, still smiling. However, his smile faded as he typed out his next message.

_There's one more thing, _Kyle texted. _I need to talk to you tomorrow during lunch._

_What is it? _Carol texted back.

_It's about something I saw in the Arceus. It's too complicated to talk about over text, so it'll have to wait until tomorrow._

_Ok, _Carol texted before Kyle closed out the Message app on his phone.

"Now, let's see what we got here," Kyle said.

Eevee opened its eyes as Kyle opened a different app on his phone that he had recently discovered the existence of. The app was developed by the CPP and was called the Trainer Tracker. One would log in to their trainer account in order to find certain information, such as Pokemon info, Pokemon sightings in the area, trainers in the area, and so on.

The program that Kyle pulled up was the Trainer Party program. A trainer's account was linked to their registered Poke balls, so a trainer could examine and assess the Pokemon they owned. The Eevee Kyle owned was currently level three, which was very fortunate. Most Pokemon owned by trainers would be level three by now. It was also male, which would help with the naming process.

Kyle could also see various statistics on his Eevee and the statistics of a normal Eevee. His Eevee was fairly average, though it did have a bit more special attack power than normal. It also had a little bit less physical defense power than the average Eevee. Kyle had read about certain personality natures that caused these types of changes.

There was also a section where Kyle could put the information he himself found out about his Pokemon, such as food preferences, nature, and other personality traits. He entered the Eevee's nature there and left everything else blank. He would find that info out later.

Kyle searched the program until he found what he was looking for. When he did, he opened it and examined Eevee's attacks. Currently, it only knew Growl, Tackle, and Tail Whip. They would need to start battling soon so Eevee could level up and learn new and better attacks. Kyle continued to examine the overview of his Eevee until he heard a voice from downstairs.

"Hey!" It shouted, "Who took the medicine?!" Kyle!"

He hadn't even heard his sister come home from work. He turned off his phone and, regretfully, picked up Eevee with care and set it down on its feet. He had been very comfortable with it on his lap.

Something caught Kyle's eye as he was getting up from his chair. It was the mysterious stone he had found in the woods. He had searched the internet for what it might be, but the only thing it could be classified as was a leaf that had somehow been fossilized. Still, Kyle felt like it was something else, something he had heard of before. He just couldn't place it. It looked pretty cool anyway, so he had put it on his desk.

Kyle had forgotten to mention it to Carol. She might know something about it. He would have to ask her tomorrow.

Kyle left his room and put his phone in his pocket as he went down the stairs. His sister was standing next to the medicine bottles Kyle had used to heal Eevee and was holding them up while looking at Kyle for an answer to her question.

"Well?" She asked.

Kyle scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. I needed it."

"What for?"

At that moment, Eevee came down the stairs as well, following Kyle. Chelsey's eyes widened as she saw it. She pointed.

"Is that a Pokemon?" She asked. "When? How?"

"I found it on my way home from school," Kyle explained. "It was injured because some kids were trying to catch it. It was just trying to run away so I got it out of there and took it home to heal."

Chelsey smiled. "Aw, that's sweet," she said. Kyle blushed and looked down. "So, is it yours now?" She asked.

"Yeah," Kyle replied. "I asked it and it agreed, so we became partners."

"Yes! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!" Chelsey exclaimed. "So, I take it you haven't had the opportunity to battle anyone yet?"

Kyle grinned. "Nope," he said. "But I was waiting for a chance."

Chelsey smiled back and held up her Poke ball. "Well then, I'd like the honor of being your first opponent!

Kyle's grin grew even more. "You're on."

* * *

The two siblings stood about fifty feet apart in the woods behind their house, preparing for battle. Kyle's Eevee waited next to him, but Chelsey's Pokemon was still inside its ball. Kyle was relaying everything he knew about Munchlax to Eevee.

"It has a lot of HP," Kyle was saying, "So it'll be tough to take down. But, it's incredibly slow, and we can use that to our advantage." Eevee nodded.

"You ready?" Chelsey called out.

Kyle finished preparing his Eevee for the battle before responding. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Chelsey sent out her Munchlax. From what she had told Kyle, he knew that she had won all three of the Pokemon battles she had participated in. That would make her Munchlax level three, the same as his Eevee. It would be an even match.

"Alright, here we go," Kyle said. "Go get it!"

Eevee bounded out onto their battlefield. There were many trees in the area they were using, so Eevee would be able to dart around and between them. Kyle had his plan to win all figured out. Now, who would move first?

"Use Metronome!" Chelsey commanded.

Metranome used a random move, even if Munchlax couldn't learn it. It would either end up being nothing, or something that would knock Eevee out in one hit.

Munchlax's arm turned into a glowing blade. Kyle recognized the move as Secret Sword. It would almost certainly take Eevee down in one hit.

_Oh, come on! Are you kidding me?! How unlucky is that?!_

Munchlax slowly and menacingly waddled over to Eevee, preparing to strike. Eevee turned around and ran, trying to get away, while Munchlax chased it. Munchlax was so slow that it didn't catch up to Eevee, even after a few minutes of running.

"What kind of strategy is that?!" Chelsey asked in annoyance, throwing her hands into the air.

"I mean, it's working, isn't it?!" Kyle retorted. "Alright, Eevee, try to look for an opening and use Tackle!"

After a few more seconds of evading, Eevee rounded a tree and slammed into Munchlax, who cried out and fell to the ground. It's arm returned to normal. Kyle relaxed. That could have been bad.

As Munchlax returned to its feet, Chelsey shouted, "Use tackle!"

Munchlax once again began to run toward Eevee. Surprisingly, Eevee wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack this time, and it fell back from the impact. Kyle looked at his phone. The Trainer Tracker had a Trainer Battle program. It showed how much HP both Pokemon had left.

Kyle was in a poor position. Munchlax did more damage, and it had started out with a greater amount of HP. He needed to turn this match around fast.

"Eevee! I need you to start darting around the area! Make use of your speed!"

Eevee complied, running around the battlefield between trees and bushes. Munchlax glanced around, on guard. After a few seconds, Eevee attacked. The Tackle hit directly and Munchlax stumbled. Eevee continued to run around and Tackle when Munchlax was open, and Munchlax kept missing its attacks. Soon, the battle was far in Kyle's favor.

"Metronome!" Chelsey ordered.

_Damn. _Kyle thought. _I was hoping she wouldn't try that again._

A green ball of energy began to form in front of Munchlax. It grew until it was about the same size as the Pokemon itself, then it was fired off. It hit Eevee directly, throwing it ten feet backward.

"Eevee!" Kyle shouted. That attack had been even more powerful than Secret Sword would have been. It was called Photon Geyser. He turned back to his phone and inhaled sharply. Eevee was almost out of hit points. One more blow and it would be over.

Eevee struggled to stand back up, but it eventually was back on its feet. It looked terrible, almost defeated. However, it still had a little bit of fight left in it. Munchlax needed to be hit only a few more times for Kyle to win.

"Munchlax, finish it off with tackle!" Chelsey said.

"Eevee, get out of-"

Kyle couldn't even finish his command as Eevee released countless beams of light at Munchlax. Kyle stopped and let his mouth hang open in bewilderment. The beams struck Munchlax and pushed him to the ground. Its HP dropped to zero. Kyle had won.

"What the-"

"What was that?!" Chelsey complained. "I didn't know Eevee could learn a move like that!"

"Neither did I," Kyle mumbled. He opened the Trainer Party program and examined his Eevee. It had gained the experience to reach level four, but Kyle wasn't concerned with that at the moment. He looked at Eevee's moveset carefully. Tackle, Growl, and Tail Whip were all there. However, where the fourth move would be, there was an error code.

_That's weird, _Kyle thought. He pressed on the move to bring up a description of the move, but was met with something else. Where the description should have been, there was a notice. It read:

_It seems that this move has not yet been added to the Trainer Tracker Database. The CPP has most likely not had the opportunity to insert it. Report this issue? _Underneath the text was an option to report.

Kyle looked up. Chelsey was approaching him, frowning playfully.

"Alright, what exactly did you pull?" She demanded to know.

"I'm not even sure myself," Kyle said. "Check it out." He showed her the strange move. "Should I report it?"

"Huh, that _is_ strange." She smiled and shrugged. "You should probably report it." Chelsey seemed to think for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Hey, what if it's a move the CPP has never seen before? I mean, come on. A move that an Eevee would learn at such a low level isn't in the database when more than a hundred other moves are?"

"Yeah, but it probably _is _just not inserted yet, or just a malfunction," Kyle said as he pressed the REPORT option.

"Or," Chelsey said, holding her finger up, "Your Pokemon is just special!" She walked towards her fainted Munchlax, muttering about her win streak.

Kyle looked towards Eevee, who, though beaten down, sat up with pride. Kyle smiled at it and went over to pick it up and carry it to the house. They had one their first ever battle, and it had all been thanks to a move Kyle had never even heard of before. A move that, maybe, _nobody _had ever heard of before.

_Special, huh? _Kyle thought. _Just like you said, Carol. _


	7. It Belongs To Me!

**It Belongs To Me!**

* * *

_I did not have much variation in the options at my disposal when I gifted new abilities._

_I simply gave it a fragment of my own power._

_I wonder what else it can do, for I do not even know myself._

* * *

Kyle walked into class the next morning feeling much better than he had the previous time. Yesterday, he had been down in the dumps because of the Pokemon he had not received. It had been difficult to see everyone else happy about their Pokemon. But today was different; now he had a Pokemon of his own. Today would be very different.

His Eevee was in higher spirits as well; Kyle had healed it after the battle the day before. It then had the opportunity to rest and regain PP before the sun came up. It waited in its Poke ball, brimming with anticipation. Kyle had told it that it would have the opportunity to battle today. Eevee had loved its first battle so much that it could hardly wait for another opportunity. Kyle was happy to give it what it wanted.

The classroom Kyle stepped into was different than yesterday. His classes rotated every day. On a certain day, he had four classes. Every other day, he had four different classes. So, Jordan would not be in this classroom since he and Kyle didn't have this class together. Kyle was grateful for that at least. He wouldn't have to deal with Jordan's crap.

Kyle slid into his seat and waited for the bell to ring and class start. He would then continue to wait until the period ended, then the next, and the next, until it was time for lunch. He went through that whole time without talking to a single person. That was how the day usually went. Until he was able to meet up with Carol, anyways.

During lunch, students were given free reign of the school building for about an hour. They could talk, eat, play games, and - only in the gymnasium - bring out Pokemon for display and battle. Kyle would head there in a few minutes. He was excited to finally be able to battle a trainer at school. However, he wanted to talk to Carol first. He was on his way to the spot they usually occupied during lunch when his phone buzzed. He removed it from the pocket in his jeans and examined it.

_Come to the gymnasium today! _Carol texted. Kyle sent an acknowledgment and changed his course, surprised that she had gone there, but glad all the same.

_The gym? _Kyle thought. _She must want to watch Pokemon battles. Or maybe partake in them?_

As Kyle was rounding one of the corners in the school hallways, he came face-to-face with Jordan, who was talking to his friends as they were walking. Kyle recognized them as the ones he had seen in the woods. Kyle almost bumped into Jordan but was able to stop just in time before they collided. Jordan's eyes fell on Kyle and the smile he had held while talking to his friends morphed into a growl.

Adrien was there too, lagging behind the rest of the group, slouched with hands in the pockets of his black jacket. He didn't seem too excited to be with Jordan's group. Kyle didn't blame him.

"Oh, it's you," Jordan snarled

Kyle gritted his teeth. He knew it was foolish of himself to think he could avoid Jordan all day. He needed to get past him now without causing too much trouble.

"I think you have something for me," Jordan said. "Something you stole."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "I didn't steal it. I simply saved it from the hell of being owned by you."

"Shut up!" Jordan said. Throwing his arm toward Kyle, pushing him away. Kyle retreated a few steps. Only a few. Other students in the hall were stopping and turning their heads towards the commotion. Their interaction was drawing attention. Kyle wasn't too fond of that.

"You're going to give me that Eevee, now!" Jordan demanded. "It belongs to me! Nobody else!"

Kyle scowled in annoyance. "It belongs," he said, "To whoever it chooses to belong to! That's me!" He took the Poke ball holding Eevee out of his bag and held it up for the rest to gaze upon. Jordan's eyes widened.

"It let itself get caught by you? A weakling like you? It doesn't even recognize that I'm superior! I guess I'll have to prove it." Jordan stepped up to Kyle and snatched his shirt collar. He pulled his hand back and made a fist.

One of Jordan's other friends stepped in. "Hey man, maybe we should just let him keep it," He suggested.

Jordan turned back in anger to face his friend as his the other one provided his suggestion as well.

"Yeah, come on Jordan," He said. It's not worth starting a fight and getting in trouble for. You don't even know if he'll give it to you after you end up beating him to a pulp."

"Oh, he will." Jordan said.

Both of his friends sighed, and one of them gave an apologetic glance to Kyle as if to say, "I tried" before both of them backed of.

Was Jordan really about to start a fight in the middle of the hallway? There weren't any teachers or staff around at the moment, but the fight would certainly attract them. That would be bad for Kyle. He didn't want his mother to have to deal with the trouble it would cause.

People were pulling out their phones to record Jordan and Kyle, which made Kyle anxious. He hated being on camera. It was one of the reasons he had never downloaded some social media apps onto his phone. He needed to get away now, and fast.

Just as Kyle was about to free his shirt from Jordan's grasp and bolt before Adrien stepped around Jordan and placed himself in the middle. Jordan's face revealed his surprise, and Adrien used his opportunity to push Jordan away. His surprise had caused his grip on Kyle's shirt to loosen. Adrien now calmly stood in between Kyle, who was ready to run at a moment's notice, and Jordan, who was ready to pounce just as quickly.

"I'm sure there's a better way you can both settle this," Adrien said, not looking at Kyle nor Jordan but still addressing both of them. "One much more enjoyable for everyone that doesn't involve In-School-Suspension for either of you"

"Out of my way, Adrien," Jordan said. "This guy needs to pay up."

"And he can," Adrien said. "But not like this. Have it be decided by a Pokemon battle. Whoever wins, keeps the Eevee. Deal?"

Jordan clenched his fist. "Why should I make a deal like that would I could just force him to cough it up?"

Adrien turned his body to face Jordan. His back was now facing Kyle. Kyle couldn't see Adrien's expression, but he watched as Jordan's expression flickered for a moment. It was difficult to notice; he mostly held it back. But it was definitely there, of that Kyle was sure.

Jordan straightened a little and averted his eyes from Adrien's face. "Fine. I'll be in the gym in about twenty minutes." He looked up at Kyle, who was still standing behind Adrien. "I'll crush your ass flat, then take that Eevee as my own." With that, he bumped past Adrien and Kyle, his other friends following.

Adrien and Kyle held their place as the people around them put away their phones and started moving again. Most of them were heading to the gymnasium. They were most likely going to wait for the battle that would now be taking place.

Adrien turned towards Kyle. Kyle was shocked to see the sweat on Adrien's face. Was he sensitive to heat? Kyle also found by looking closely enough that Adrien's legs were shaking a little beneath his jeans.

"Hey, you alright man?" Kyle asked, holding out his arm as if Adrien were about to fall.

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I just get a little anxious sometimes with all these people recording me."

_Tell me about it, _Kyle thought. "Hey, what _was_ that anyway? I've never seen anyone able to influence Jordan."

Adrien looked at Kyle and said with complete and utter sincerity, "I don't know. In the few times I've had an opinion or a request, Jordan's always seemed to actually listen to it. I'm not going to complain though."

_I wouldn't either. _"Also," Kyle said, "If doing stuff like that gives you anxiety, why did you do it? You could've just left. It probably would've been a lot better for you."

Adrien shrugged. "I could tell you weren't going to give up that Eevee, not in years. Jordan would've beaten the hell out of you, and you wouldn't have given in. Not after you had worked so hard to save that Eevee. I doubt you would've even fought back. Jordan would just keep swinging, which would get him expelled. That sounds like a lot of trouble if you ask me, so I was trying to help him out."

"So it wasn't for me, then?" Kyle asked.

"It was, in part," Adrien responded. "It probably would hurt to get your ass kicked that hard."

Kyle huffed. "I could've handled it." He paused. "But thanks anyway. Why would you even put yourself in a situation you hate so much just for the two of us? Jordan's a dick, and you barely even know me."

"Jordan's not as bad as you think," Adrien said. "You were simply unfortunate enough to get on his bad side. Besides, I owe him for helping me get a Pokemon."

Kyle raised an eyebrow. "He did what now?"

Adrien fished in his bag before bringing out a Poke ball identical to the one Kyle still held in his hand. Seeing it reminded him to put his own back in his backpack.

"Why did he help you?" Kyle asked. "Another benefit of being on his good side?"

"I don't think so," Adrien said. "He said he was impressed by my battling skills and wanted to get me my own Pokemon so he'd have a 'worthy opponent.'"

_Oh, yeah, _Kyle thought. _They were saying something about getting Adrien a Pokemon while they were in the woods._

"Yeah, you were definitely impressive," Kyle said. "Which one did you get?"

"Pichu," Adrien said. "We found it in the woods soon after you ran off. Jordan weakened it for me, and I caught it."

_Pichu, _Kyle thought. _Who would've thought he'd be the one?_

"So that's why you helped him out," Kyle said. "But why me?"

Adrien put his Poke ball back. "There's a reason it's beneficial to be on Jordan's good side; I can save others from his wrath. But you also seem like a nice guy. You were willing to jump in between Jordan and that Eevee to try and save it from harm."

_That must be why he didn't sell me out back in the woods, _Kyle thought.

"Anyway," Kyle said. "Thanks for the help. I'll have to battle you sometime. Unfortunately, you just filled up my schedule for today."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Adrien said. "I hope you win. It would suck if you worked that hard for your Eevee only to get it taken from you."

"Oh, I don't think you understand something," Kyle said. "I don't care if I lose, this Eevee isn't going to anyone else."

"Well, you better not lose."

* * *

Kyle spotted Carol sitting a few rows from the ground on the silver-colored bleachers in the gymnasium. She wore her usual pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt. She waved to Kyle as they made eye contact, and Kyle approached her, sliding his backpack off of his shoulders and setting it beside her.

Adrien had given his farewell before leaving to catch up with Jordan, but promising that he would be there for the battle. Kyle had been worried that Jordan would be upset with Adrien, but he had claimed that he would be fine.

"He doesn't usually stay openly frustrated at me for long," Adrien had said.

To which Kyle had responded, "Seems like a bold statement to make when you've only been friends for around a day, don't you think?" Adrien had shrugged before disappearing from Kyle's view, and that had been that.

"What took you so long?" Carol asked.

"I ran into Jordan into the hallway," Kyle explained. "He was _not _happy."

Carol cringed. "Oh, that must have sucked."

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Now I'm supposed to challenge him in a few minutes to a battle that will decide who'll own this Eevee."

Carol straightened. "That's it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was expecting him to just beat it off of you."

"To be honest, he was about to," Kyle said. "One of his friends stepped in and stopped him. He arranged the battle and it was settled."

"I've never heard of someone being able to convince Jordan like that before," Carol remarked.

"Neither had I."

A few moments passed as both turned to watch the ongoing battles. During lunch, Pokemon battles were being held freely in the gym. PE teachers were acting as referees. The gym had been evenly split into four different sections for battles. There were currently three battles going on. A Murkrow against a Magnetite, a Growlithe against a Geodude, and a Magikarp against a Shuckle. The first two were attracting a lot of attention, and Kyle could see there were some interesting things going on. The third battle, not so much.

"Oh!" Carol exclaimed. Kyle turned back to face her. "You said there was something you wanted to tell me about."

"Right!" Kyle said, remembering. "But first there was something else I wanted to show you." He reached into his bag to pull out the stone he had found. The instant it was outside of his bag, Carol pointed at it as Kyle was opening his mouth.

"Wow!" Carol said, face lighting up. "You found a Leafstone?"

Kyle stared, mouth still open. Of course. He had spent so much time looking at regular rocks, he hadn't thought to look in the Pokemon databases. That's why it had looked familiar!

_One second. _Kyle thought, frustrated. _She recognized it in _one second.

Carol's expression dimmed for a moment. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Kyle fixed his expression and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. But yeah, I found it in the woods near where I found Eevee. It left a pretty good mark on my leg, actually."

Carol held out her hand, and Kyle placed the stone in her palm. She turned it over, investigating every square inch.

"You're pretty lucky," she said.

"Why's that?" Kyle asked.

It was Carol's turn to stare at Kyle. "Haven't you read anything about these stones?" She asked.

"Not really," Kyle said. "I only read about the Pokemon themselves." Kyle chuckled, and Carol sighed.

"Well, they're used to evolve certain Pokemon," Carol explained. "For instance, they evolve Eevee into Leafeon."

Kyle paused. _Wow, I am lucky, _He thought. "I'm guessing it's probably best to wait though, right? I think I remember seeing somewhere that you should train your Pokemon a lot before you use a stone to evolve it."

"Right," Carol said. "So you won't be needed this for a while." She handed it back to Kyle, who placed it back in his backpack. "So, what else did you want to tell me about."

"It's about the last Arceus," Kyle began. "When it came down and washed over me, it wasn't much different from the first time it happened. I mean, you remember." Carol nodded and Kyle continued. "But this time was different. I saw something. I have no idea what it was. It sort of looked like a horse, but it had spikes protruding around its waist. It was mostly silhouetted, so I couldn't really make out any details."

"Could it have been some kind of Pokemon?" Carol asked.

"I thought about that too," Kyle said. "But if it is, I've never seen it before. It might even be a species no one's seen before." Carol gaped in awe. "But that's not all. When it was next to me, I could feel its presence. I couldn't describe it then, but I think I can now. It was powerful, and it felt like it was judging every aspect there was about me. Then the light faded, and the creature went with it. There was no trace that it had been there at all. Except for that feeling of judgment it had placed on me."

"Weird," Carol breathed.

"Yeah," Kyle said. They sat in silence for a few more moments. Before Kyle asked, "Have you been in any Pokemon battles? With your brother, maybe?"

Carol shook her head. "No, not yet," She said. Then she smirked. "You'll be my first battle, and my first victory."

Kyle smirked back. "Confident are we?"

Carol laughed. "Anyway, what about you? Did you battle with your sister?"

"Yeah." Kyle then remembered the beams of light. "That reminds me. I need to ask you about a move."

"Okay, go ahead."

"The Trainer Tracker doesn't recognize it. It brings up an error code in its place."

Carol frowned. "Thats strange. What does the move look like?"

"Like beams of light. Based on what it did to Chelsey's Munchlax, I'd also say its pretty powerful."

"Wait, your Eevee used it?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, which confused me even more," Kyle said. "My Eevee isn't very high in level, yet it was able to learn that move mid-battle. I did my research, and I found that Eevee learns no move with that has a fitting description."

Carol grinned. "See? I told you your Eevee was special!"

Kyle chuckled. "I guess so. Still, I sent a message to the CPP. So, hopefully, they'll contact me and we can get it all sorted-"

"Hey, Kyle!" A voice called out.

The duo turned to where the voice had come from. Jordan was standing with his arms crossed, face full of anger and determination. He had come ready for battle. His two friends stood beside him with solemn expressions.

Adrien, as always, had his hands in his pockets and was standing a few feet behind Jordan. However, he seemed a bit more nervous than usual. His head was down and turned to the side slightly. Kyle wondered why that was, but he didn't have time to think about it.

"Ready?" Jordan asked.

Kyle put on his own face of determination. He didn't have to try very hard.

"Bring it on."

* * *

**Disclaimer: I'm aware you can't use a leafstone to evolve Eevee in the Pokemon games.**


	8. Strength In Numbers

**Strength In Numbers**

* * *

_This one claims the anomaly belongs to him._

_He seems to be able to recognize its capabilities._

_He also has tremendous potential to be a great trainer._

_Of course, that does not mean he could not become a failure of one._

* * *

Kyle grabbed his Pokeball out of his backpack before hopping down the bleachers and standing to face Jordan. The two didn't say anything, their expressions were all they needed to transmit their intentions. Jordan would do everything to crush Kyle's Eevee, and Kyle would do the same to Jordan's Chimchar.

Jordan turned and started walking towards the last vacant area where they could battle. Carol, Adrien, and Jordan's friends all followed. Carol sticking close to Kyle.

After a few moments, Kyle heard cheering and looked for the source. He found it by one of the battles, which had apparently just ended. Kyle looked past the slightly distant crowd and saw a defeated Murkrow, a Magnetite hovering over it. The competing trainers met in the middle to shake hands. A sign of respect.

_I highly doubt there will be _any _of that in our battle, _Kyle thought.

Now that the battle between those two had ended, people noticed Kyle's group walking towards the fourth section. Some began to point them out to their friends, and groups started following them to the area. Carol pulled on Kyle's jacket sleeve, and he turned towards her. She pointed towards the gymnasium doors, which were opening. Students were flooding inside, their eyes searching until they caught sight of Jordan and Kyle. They too then pointed them out and started following them.

"It seems like word of your battle got out," Carol noted.

"Yeah," Kyle said, getting nervous. He'd never been the focus of this much attention before. It was an uncomfortable experience.

Carol noticed this and bumped his arm with her elbow. "Hey, you got this," She said encouragingly. "Remember, you have the advantage!"

Kyle frowned. "What do you mean? An Eevee might have better stats if it were at the same level as Jordan's Pokemon, but his Chimchar has had much more training and experience than Eevee has. Why would you think we have the advantage"

Carol grinned. "Because your Pokemon is special!"

Kyle smiled and sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

_But if I lose, I'll have to make a scene in front of all of these people._

After a few more steps, Kyle heard a noise beside him, followed by sounds of awe. He turned as saw that Carol had let her Dratini, Scarf, out of its Pokeball. She crouched and held out her arm so it could climb up to her neck and wrap itself around. It was attracting a lot of attention, and people were taking out their phones to take pictures. Kyle even saw a group of girls - he recognized them as the popular-type group - gawking in envy.

"Showing off?" Kyle asked, smiling.

"Shut up," Carol said sheepishly. "Don't judge me."

Kyle laughed and caught a hint of a smile on Adrien's face. That was something he didn't see often from him. It fit him a lot better on him than Kyle thought it would. But he still had his head turned slightly away from Kyle and Carol. Kyle was still wondering why that was.

The group reached the battle area and split to both sides. Kyle and Carol headed to the right, while Jordan and his group went to the left. Kyle and Jordan turned to face each other from opposite sides of the area. The students all gathered around, each trying to push their way to the front to get a good view. Soon, the entire area was surrounded by people. It even looked to Kyle like the other two battles had finished, and now the crowds of those two were merging with the one that was around Kyle and Jordan's area. Voices were growing louder in anticipation of the battle.

The referee was trying to push people back in vain, and so he blew his whistle. The students silenced.

"All right!" The referee shouted for everyone to hear. "Clearly, we have a popular matchup here. So, we'll be using two areas instead of one so they can have more battlespace! So, everyone let the participants move to their new starting points."

Everyone cheered loudly. Kyle was tempted to cover his ears but refused to do so while Jordan could see him.

_Two areas? _Kyle thought _That's a lot of space. _

After a few more minutes, everyone was resituated, with much more space between Kyle and Jordan that before. It was made a little smaller by the large crowd, but it was a lot more room than before.

"Okay!" The referee called out. "Trainers, send out your Pokemon!"

Jordan took out his Poke ball and chucked it onto the court. There was a flash of light as his small Chimchar materialized, pounding its chest. The Poke ball then bounced back into Jordan's hand. The crowd cheered, and the Chimchar began to wave to the crowd in confidence.

"Pound it to dust for me, Fireball!"

_Such an unoriginal name, _Kyle thought as he held his own Pokemon. Kyle had decided that he wouldn't throw out his Poke ball whenever he battled. He'd rather just open it from his hand and let the ball stay there. Kyle unlocked the Poke ball with his thumb and watched it enlarge. He then pressed the button again and watched as Eevee emerged.

Eevee was, needless to say, ready for battle. Its health was in perfect condition, and it was bouncing slightly from side to side in excitement. That energy is exactly what they would need to win.

"Alright, remember them?" Kyle asked.

Eevee turned to examine their opponents. It stopped bouncing and its ears drooped a little as it realized who and what it would be fighting. Kyle couldn't blame it. Eevee had been ruthlessly attacked by Chimchar, and unless Kyle had saved it, it'd be in Jordan's hands. He sighed as he kneeled down to talk to Eevee.

"Hey," He said encouragingly. The Eevee turned back, face gloomy. "You'll be fine. All you have to do is work with me, and we'll get through this. Remember Munchlax? That was difficult, but you pushed past that." Eevee began to smile, and Kyle smiled back. "Let's do this."

"Yeah, you guys got this!" Carol added in.

"Hey, you done yet dog whisperer?" Jordan asked. "If you are, we'd like to get this started."

Eevee turned and darted out onto the court, stopping to crouch down low. Kyle thought he heard a high pitched growl coming from Eevee. He grinned. "Ready when you are." The crowd cheered again.

The referee looked to both sides and saw that the two were prepared to start the battle. He looked nervous. He could probably tell that things were about to get heated. He put his arm in front of him and looked both ways one last time.

"Ready!" He called out. Eevee and Chimchar positioned themselves.

"Go!"

The two Pokemon launched themselves towards one another.

"Fireball, cut it up with scratch!" Jordan shouted.

"Tackle!" Kyle called out.

Fireball came out swinging its sharp claws. It connected with Eevee's back as they collided, but Eevee also hit its attack. The Chimchar was thrown to the ground by Eevee's tackle, but it didn't look like the attack did much damage to it. Eevee, however, had taken a solid hit.

"Again!" Kyle commanded. Eevee obliged, but Fireball was quick. It jumped back to its feet and evaded the attack.

"Use Ember!" Jordan ordered. As soon as Fireball was clear from Eevee's tackle, it spat a ball of smoking fire at Eevee. Once again, the attack connected, and Eevee yelped in pain. Kyle cringed, and Jordan laughed.

"You'll have to do better than _that._" He said.

_All right, if you insist. _He wouldn't try Eevee's special move yet. He wanted to save it until he had a clear opening. He also wanted to rack up some damage with skill, not power. Kyle waited.

"Not going to attack? Fine! Fireball, use Scratch!"

_He's not hitting me with Ember, which is a much stronger move, _Kyle thought. _He was using it exclusively the last time he fought Eevee, which means he knows that Ember is more powerful. This means that he's trying to make the process slow in the hopes of making me look and feel weak. He's confident. That's good. His confidence will be his downfall._

"Growl!" Kyle shouted.

Eevee let out a cry that stopped Fireball in its tracks. Kyle used the opening to order Eevee to hit the Chimchar with Tackle. The attack hit Fireball right in its gut, and it was sent sprawling backward.

"Get up!" Jordan yelled. Fireball stood back on its feet, slightly slower this time. "Use Ember!" The Chimchar tilted its head back, and Kyle could see its throat begin to glow a light orange.

"Quickly, use Tail Whip!" Kyle told Eevee.

Eevee turned around and wagged its tail in Fireball's direction. Carol laughed at the sight, and Kyle smiled slightly too. Some in the crowd were laughing as well. The Chimp Pokemon paused for a moment, lowering its guard at the sight of Eevee's movement. Perfect.

"Now, use Tackle again!"

Eevee slammed into the Chimchar once more and knocked it to the ground. The crowd yelled in admiration. Despite their difference in level, Eevee had managed to hit Fireball more times in total that it had hit Eevee. It had also gotten Fireball to open itself to attacks twice in a row. In addition, both the moves Tail Whip and Growl lowered one of the Chimchar's stats, so they would be more even now.

"Quit lowering your guard, you idiot!" Jordan shouted, visibly frustrated. "Just _hit_ the damn thing! Ember, again!"

Fireball threw out another bright orange flame, but Eevee easily jumped out of the way. Kyle wanted to order it to Tackle, but he knew Fireball would simply dodge and counterattack with Ember. He needed to evade attacks for now while he waited for an opening.

Jordan continued to order Fireball to attack with either Ember or Scratch. Jordan and Fireball continued to fight aggressively, while Kyle and Eevee continued to be conservative. This kept on for the next couple of minutes. Kyle would've expected the crowd to get bored with the lack of connecting attacks, but they were captivated by the speed at which the competing Pokemon moved. The noise was only getting louder as the two continued to brawl.

Soon, however, Jordan gave a command Kyle didn't expect. "Alright Fireball, use that maneuver we practiced!"

_What? _Kyle became nervous at those words.

Fireball smiled. He used Scratch and swiped sideways from the right to the left. Eevee ducked under the attack. However, the Chimp Pokemon seemed ready for this. It used its momentum from Scratch and turned to the side. It then placed its left knee pit under Eevee's chin and wrapped that leg around Eevee's neck. Fireball lifted Eevee into the air with its leg, balancing in a handstand. It then brought Eevee down, slamming it into the ground and putting it in a choke hold with its leg.

The crowd roared. Kyle was baffled. _A maneuver? _He thought. _He practiced a maneuver? I didn't think he was even smart enough to do that! _

Fireball looked back to its trainer with an expression full of pride. Despite its struggles, Eevee was unable to escape. Kyle was about to panic. Jordan could end it right here if he wanted to; and by looking at him, Kyle could tell that he wanted to.

"Now, finish it off!" Jordan ordered.

_That's it. _Kyle thought.

Fireball hesitated, its smile of pride fading as it turned back to face Eevee, who was still struggling against the leg which was chocking it. Kyle tilted his head. Fireball almost looked…sad. Conflicted.

_It doesn't want to win, _Kyle realized, remembering the incident in the woods. _It knows somehow that if it wins, Jordan won't use it anymore, since he'll be too focused with Eevee. Fireball enjoys being Jordan's Pokemon, and wouldn't rather be with anyone else. But, if it doesn't win, it'll make Jordan angry with it, which will hurt their relationship. That's something Fireball doesn't want either._

Kyle found himself sympathizing with Fireball. He could understand its internal struggle, and he felt sorry for it. But as he felt his sympathy, he also noticed that Eevee was able to turn its head enough so that it was facing Fireball's body. Eevee looked as if it were waiting.

_Alright, Fireball, _Kyle thought. _I'll decide for you. You can stay with your master. _He used Fireball's hesitation as an opportunity.

"Eevee, do it!" Kyle shouted.

_That sounded so lame, _Kyle thought. _I need to at least come up with a name for that move or something._

Eevee opened its mouth as white light began to fill it. Fireball looked on in confusion as the light grew brighter. Jordan's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but he was too late. Eevee unleashed the light and numerous beams struck Fireball, sending it flying backward.

The crowd grew silent at first sight of the beams of light, but they went wild as the orange Pokemon fell through the air. Kyle saw some people with looks of varying levels of confusion of disbelief, others gaping in awe, and some just shouting or cheering loudly. Carol gasped behind him before clapping in amazement, an Adrien raised his eyebrows before smiling.

Eevee struggled to stand as its opponent hit the ground, which made the noise of the crowd reach an even greater volume. Amazingly, Fireball was able to return to a stand as well, despite being badly injured by Eevee's attack.

_Damn. _Kyle thought. _That had been my best chance. I can still win, but it will be much more difficult. _He took out his phone and opened the Trainer Tracker to see the HP of each Pokemon. He inhaled sharply at the sight. Eevee was almost done, but Fireball still had a fair amount of HP left. However, Kyle believed he would only need to hit it one more time.

_No time to waste. _"Try again!" Kyle shouted.

Eevee opened its mouth again to release the beams of light once more. They separated a small distance from each other before homing in on their singular target. Fireball readied itself before running to the side. It seemed that it was still trying to win in spite of its internal conflict. It danced between each beam, each one hitting the ground and dissipating as it missed. As the number of projectiles threatening Fireball dwindled, it began to advance towards Eevee.

"Hit it one last time with Scratch!"

_Oh, no you don't. _"Again!"

More light missiles were shot out by Eevee. Firecall dodged these as well, jumping over one, sliding under another, sidestepping. It was honestly incredible to watch, that Kyle had to admit. But this was no time to admire the Chimchar's moves; Kyle had other things to worry about. He grew increasingly nervous as Fireball got closer. Kyle couldn't do anything, he could only hope that Eevee would manage to hit Fireball once.

Fireball was now right beside Eevee, and it pulled back its clawed hand to deliver one final blow. It swung at Eevee, slashing it across the face as one of the beams finally struck the Chimp Pokemon in the chest. Fireball was thrown back once more, and Eevee collapsed. Kyle checked his phone.

Fireball had withstood the attack, if only barely. It still had HP left to spare. Eevee, however…

Eevee was out of Hit Points. Fireball's last scratch had taken it down to zero, marking the end of the battle. Jordan and his Chimchar had won.

The crowd cheered, recognizing the winner. Jordan let out a cry of victory. Kyle, Carol, and Adrien all stayed silent. The referee blew his whistle and declared Jordan to be the victor of the battle. Students rushed up to Jordan and surrounded him to congratulate him. Some students came up to Kyle to congratulate him as well before heading over to Jordan with the others.

Kyle dropped his head and ran his fingers through his hair, and Carol placed a hand on his shoulder. He had lost his first Pokemon battle. More importantly than that, he had lost the bet. Kyle and Carol both approached the defeated Eevee, and Kyle kneeled down and gathered it in his arms. Should he run? Try to escape? Maybe he could flee from Jordan and what was about to come.

Before he could decide, Jordan pushed himself through the crowd of students. Kyle raised his head and looked into his eyes. They were full of pride, satisfaction, and greed. His Fireball followed behind him with a sad look on its face, for it knew what was about to happen. Jordan held out his hand expectantly, palm facing upward.

"Well? Give it here." Jordan said.

Kyle stood and stepped back defensively, holding Eevee tighter. "No."

Jordan frowned in frustration. "Come on Kyle. You heard Adrien. Whoever wins, keeps the Eevee. That's how it goes. I won. So pay up."

"No." Kyle backed up some more.

Jordan didn't move yet. He was growing angry, however. "Damn it, Kyle! I beat you fair and square! I even made it look like you had a chance for you! So give me the Eevee!"

"Just let him keep it, man." One guy from the crowd said. "Why should he give it up?"

"Yeah, he fought hard with that Eevee!" A girl said. "He clearly deserves to have it!"

"You already own a Pokemon!"

"Why would you want another?"

"You should be grateful!"

"He doesn't have any more than that!"

More and more people began to place arguments in support of Kyle. Kyle's mouth was wide open at the display. He couldn't believe that all of these people were standing up for him. Jordan growled and turned to face them, but backed away as they grew more insistent.

"Come on, man!"

"Just shut it! All of you!" Jordan screamed. "None of you understand. He stole this Pokemon from me! I found it, and he just took it away! It belongs only to one person! M-"

Jordan was cut off as the sound of a Poke ball opening resonated through the gymnasium. The crowd backed away from the noise, revealing one person who stood in the middle. One trainer.

Adrien stood with one hand in his pocket, the other hand holding an open Poke ball. A Pichu stood in front of him, electricity flowing over its yellow mouselike figure.

"You're right," Adrien said. "It does belong to only one person." Pichu let off a few sparks. Adrien pointed directly at Kyle. "Him."

Carol was next. She stepped in front of Kyle and held out her arm. Scarf slithered off and dropped to the ground, poising itself to strike.

Soon, everyone else in the crowd with Pokemon began releasing them. Magnetite, Murkrow, Magikarp, Growlithe, Geodude, Shuckle, Buneary, Starly, Squirtle, Pupitar, Goldeen, and countless more. Even Jordan's other friends let their Pokemon out behind Adrien. All of them surrounded Jordan and Fireball. Jordan glanced around, growling, but with sweat falling down his face. Fireball shifted around Jordan protectively, ready in case one of the Pokemon attacked.

The standoff lasted a few minutes. The referee watched nearby, not making a move, even though he should be punishing everyone for threatening their fellow student. Jordan's nervousness visibly grew as his eyes darted around. Finally, he took a deep breath and relaxed his posture. He turned his head away from Kyle.

"Fine." He snarled. "You can keep the damn thing." Jordan didn't bother to replace his Chimchar in its Poke ball before pushing his way through the crowd of people and Pokemon alike. He retrieved his backpack from where he had deposited it and left through the gym doors, Fireball scurrying along behind him. The doors shut behind them both.


	9. Judgment

**Judgment**

* * *

_He has a good heart but often refuses to listen to it._

_He will forever have ability, but he will forever have conflict._

_She drew the power out of the sea and wrapped it around herself._

_He saved it not because he wanted it for himself, but because it was right._

* * *

As soon as the doors were closed, everyone cheered. Kyle had lost the battle, but he had won the war with strength in numbers. Numbers he had never dreamed would be rushing to his aid. He and Carol thanked everyone that approached him, and people complimented Adrien as well for making his stand first.

The referee said he wouldn't report the incident, but that everyone should be sure to keep their mouths shut when talking to the teachers or staff. Everyone agreed.

Kyle thanked Adrien last after everyone had mostly cleared out. It was almost time for class to start. Kyle had completely forgotten that he still had school to finish after the battle. As he was thanking Adrien, Carol approached them both, Scarf wrapped around her neck.

"Wait a minute!" Carol exclaimed. "I _thought _I recognized you!"

"What? You know him?" Kyle asked. Adrien suddenly became very interested in his Pichu, which was beside his leg, giving off a few sparks now and then.

"Yeah!" Carol said. "He's in almost all of my classes. He always sits in the back and keeps out of everyone's way, but people always notice him because he's literally the smartest one there! He always has the highest test grades and his English essays are unbelievable! He probably has the highest GPA in the school!

"We worked on a project together, once. He had so many ideas and all I could do was give only a few contributions. But when we were presenting it, he told me that he had been about to pass out! He said that he got a lot of anxiety, but I'm sure to everyone else he looked fine since he's able to hide it so well. But come to think of it, its a miracle to me that he was able to stand up to Jordan in front of all those people."

Kyle examined Adrien's odd behavior closely.

_Wait, _He thought. _Is he blushing?_

Adrien was, in fact, blushing. His face had gone red with the number of compliments Carol was giving him, and at the embarrassment of being called out for his nervousness during presentations.

Kyle took that instant to connect Adrien's current behavior with the way he was acting when he had first entered the gymnasium. It had all started when Carol had been there.

_Hold on, _Kyle thought. _He couldn't - he doesn't _like _her, does he?_

Kyle had great respect and gratitude for Adrien, which is why he didn't tackle him right there and demand to know how he truly felt about Carol. So he simply did his best to keep his composure and act as if he hadn't noticed anything. He would deal with the issue another time.

The trio talked for a little bit longer before heading to class. Carol and Adrien went one way to go to their English class, and Kyle went another. As Kyle walked through the halls, people waved and greeted him or complimented him. This had never happened before; people usually just passed him by. Kyle realized as he reached his classroom that it actually felt _good_ just to be complemented by people, even if he had lost.

Students in Kyle's classroom were watching the fight on various videos posted online. Kyle smiled as he looked over the shoulder of one kid and saw his Eevee shooting out beams of light at Fireball. He heard people talking about the fight among their friends.

"Hey, there he is!" Someone said.

Before Kyle could even get to his seat, he was swarmed by people all asking about the battle and about his Eevee. Kyle smiled over the volume of their joined voices and opened his mouth to answer all of their questions.

* * *

"Woah," Mr. Roberts, the mailman, said. "Ain't that something,"

"Yeah," Kyle said. "I haven't decided on what to call him yet, though. I just can't think of anything fitting for it."

"Hm. Well, you know," Mr. Roberts began, "people name their Pokemon to make them unique, right?"

"Yeah. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that by not naming your Pokemon, you are already more unique than everyone else, because everyone will be naming theirs. Or you could simply call it a name close to its species name. Take my Delibird, for example. I call it Deli rather than giving it a name. I like it better that way."

Kyle nodded. "You know, that makes sense," He said. "Maybe I don't have to give it its own unique name."

"Exactly," Mr. Roberts said.

Kyle and Mr. Roberts stood on Kyle's street early in the morning. It had been almost a week since his Eevee had lost to fireball. Since then, his Eevee had been growing in experience as Kyle trained it in battle. Eevee was currently trying to balance packages on its head so it could help Delibird deliver the mail. It was a rather amusing sight.

"Anyways, have you two been in any battles?" Mr. Roberts asked.

"A few," Kyle responded. I've only lost one, so far, but I've been undefeated since. I'm not planning on losing my streak anytime soon."

"That's the spirit. Your mother will surely be grateful. Proud, too."

Kyle nodded. He had it all figured out. He would keep training Eevee until it was strong enough to enter in tournaments. There, he could earn the cash he needed to help support his family.

"And you said it's special?" Mr. Roberts asked.

Kyle grinned. "Very."

"Good luck to you, then," Mr. Roberts said.

"Thanks."

* * *

"So, how's Jordan doing? I noticed he wasn't here today, again."

"He's pretty upset about last week. Probably won't be back for a while."

"Ah."

Kyle and Adrien sat on the bleachers watching the Pokemon battles occurring on the gymnasium floor. It was the final period of the school day, and he and Adrien were waiting for a chance to battle.

"So anyway," Kyle said, "I wanted to ask you something else."

"What?" Adrien asked.

"How long have you known Jordan?"

Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"I can tell you've known him longer than you've let on," Kyle said. "So when did you two actually meet?"

Adrien hesitated before answering, "Since elementary school, actually. He was my closest friend, back then. Then he started hanging out with "cooler" people. That's when I became a sort of a lone wolf."

"Then he just started inviting you to hang out with him?" Kyle asked, hiding his surprise. He hadn't expected the answer to be as early as elementary school.

"Here's the thing," Adrien began. "Jordan and I talked a lot last night over text, and he opened up to me. That incident where everyone turned on him made him crack, it seems. Thing was, this whole time he was actually a nice guy under a false and hostile persona he had developed years ago. It turns out he actually felt really bad about leaving me. He told me that the friends he made weren't real friends, which is what he truly wanted. So he wanted to hang out with a real friend: me. But his persona had taken control; he couldn't bring himself to ask me if I wanted to be friends again. Jordan was also afraid of getting rejected by me after what he'd done. So he waited. For years, as it turned out. I showed my skill in Pokemon battles, and he used an offering to catch me a Pokemon as a cover for wanting to hang out with me."

"So that's why you have a bit of influence over him," Kyle concluded.

"Yeah."

"And he wasn't mad? About you turning on him, I mean."

"A little," Adrien said. "I don't blame him. After all, I _did_ stop him from getting Eevee by offering the matter to be settled by a battle. Then I followed up by standing against him in support of you despite the agreement that I myself had strictly placed. But he didn't seem to upset. I asked him about it, and he told me not to worry. He said he deserved it for his actions since he developed his false identity."

"Did he say anything else?"

"He did. He wanted to apologize to you. He told me that he actually wanted to be friends with you when the two of you first met. But it just didn't work out like that; he had been influenced by the people he had hung out with before, and so the two of you became enemies instead of friends. He was actually planning on giving you his Chimchar if you ended up winning the fight."

"Wow," Kyle said, honestly surprised. "Never saw that coming. Does he still want Eevee?"

Adrien shook his head. "No. He's content with his Chimchar; he understands how powerful it can be. But he was wondering something, and I have to say I'm a little curious too. What was that move? The one where your Eevee shot out beams of light?"

Kyle leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "Did you ask Carol about it?"

"Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"She said it'd probably be better to ask you."

Kyle nodded. "I don't know. I'm going to figure it out though, or I'll just make it my own move. CPP should be contacting me soon about it."

The two fell into a brief period of silence as they continued to watch the battles.

"Alright, one more question," Kyle said, growing serious. "I have to know. Do you like Carol?"

Adrien didn't react like Kyle thought he would. He was calm and collected as Kyle finished his question, rather than surprised or panicky. Adrien took a moment to think before answering.

"Yeah, I do. She was really nice to me when we met. Did she tell you that when we were assigned that project, we had to find our own partners? Nobody wanted to be with me, and yet she came right up to me and offered to be my partner. I could tell it wasn't because she thought I was smart, even though it felt nice when she told me I was. She said that I looked lonely and needed a friend. I really needed to hear that at the time.

"But I know how you feel, too. Which is why I'm not going to go looking for a relationship with her or anything. I don't think I could handle one with my current mental state, anyway."

Kyle looked over Adrien in surprise. He hadn't expected to hear that. He had also expected it to be a lot harder to convince Adrien that Kyle and Carol both probably liked each other.

"Hey," Adrien said, pointing, "There's an area opening up."

Kyle looked out onto the court. There was indeed an area opening up. Two students had just finished their battle.

"Alright," Kyle said, grinning. I finally get a chance to beat you."

Adrien chuckled slightly. "If you say so."

* * *

It was around two in the morning when Kyle's phone buzzed from his nightstand. He slowly opened his eyes, waking from a deep sleep that had been interrupted. He placed his hand on the nightstand and fumbled around until his fingers found the smooth texture of his phone case. He grabbed it and pulled it over his head, squinting his eyes in the bright shining light.

He had received a message from the CPP. Kyle snapped awake. He sat up in his bed to a sitting position and unlocked his phone, full of excitement. He opened his email and opened the message. It read:

_Name: Parker, Kyle_

_Trainer ID: 000493_

_Mr. Parker,_

_It seems you have filed a report about an issue concerning one of the moves in the Trainer Tracker. I have personally done my research and found that there is no move an Eevee learns at level four, which is what I believe was the level the Eevee was when it learned the move. Could you send a description of the move, please?_

_Bradley Pine_

_Professor and Programmer of Trainer Tracker_

Kyle sent a description of the move, using the specific words "beams of light." It was about an hour before the response came. Kyle had been falling back asleep when his phone buzzed. That had taken a while. Kyle wondered what the wait was about. He opened the message. It had the same heading as the last, but with a different message:

_We were unable to find a move that fits this description. Therefore, I have determined that this is a new move none of us at the CPP have seen before. I reported this to my superiors, and they determined that you shall be the one to name this new move and create the description for it since you discovered it. What would you like the move to be called? _

Kyle flopped backward onto his bed. A new move? It was unbelievable! He had discovered it, too! But what to call it? Kyle tried to think. Lightbringer? No. Illuminator? No. Galeem? Definitely not. Then Kyle thought back to what had given the move to Eevee. Kyle thought about what he had seen inside the Arceus, and how it had made him feel. Kyle sat back up and began typing a message. When he finished, he sent it. It contained only one word.

_Judgment._

* * *

**End of Part One**


	10. Team Dominion

**Team Dominion**

* * *

_As always, people will take great gifts and use them as a means to satisfy their greed._

_I cannot do anything about it. _

_I cannot leave my sanctuary, for it would unleash evil upon the world._

_I can only hope that the ones of righteousness will be able to solve this issue on their own._

* * *

"What's your status?" A voice in Dream Eater's earpiece asked.

Dream Eater waited for someone else to respond. He heard Extrasensory, his squad's leader, speak from behind him.

"We're in position," She said. "Waiting for the signal."

"Very well," The reply came. "Stand by."

Dream Eater leaned against the side of a window in a dark, empty apartment, gazing out to the tall building across the street. Empty, of course, save for his strike team, called Sleep Squad. It consisted of six operatives, including himself, all with Pokemon. They were storing their Pokemon in their Poke balls, for now, but they would soon be needed.

The street was emptier than usual, as it should be at this time of night. This would make it easier for Sleep Squad to pull off their heist. Less potential for collateral damage.

Dream Eater was a man in his early thirties who lived a life of crime since he was twenty. Back then, he had mostly been stealing cars, purses, and store items. Before long, however, the crimes became greater. Armed robbery was his specialty. A few months ago, he had been approached by a man who said he had a need for his skill. He was recruited into the criminal group known as Team Dominion

The goal of Team Dominion was to find a way to use Pokemon as weapons to support the criminal underground. Sure, a Pokemon could punch or scratch someone just like any human could, but they can't actually do much to creatures besides Pokemon with their special attacks. The attacks might cause some pain and force, as well as other sensations such as heat from a Flamethrower attack, but ultimately caused little visible damage to the body. Pokemon were also unable to affect other creatures with any status-effect moves. The professors at CPP had determined these facts early in their research.

However, the scientists who worked as a part of Team Dominion had invented a device they called the Trans-attack. It allowed Pokemon to affect other creatures with their attacks to the same degree that other Pokemon were affected. The device didn't allow Pokemon to kill anyone, yet. It only allowed Pokemon to harm humans, which was all that Team Dominion needed, for now. They used their Pokemon equipped with Trans-attacks to pull off heists on CPP research buildings.

In fact, Sleep Squad was preparing for a heist right at the moment. They were simply waiting for their eyes to give them a signal.

They were after research that their hackers had gotten a glimpse of a few days prior. When Dream Eater saw the idea that the stolen research portrayed, he knew it would be a game-changer for Team Dominion.

The professor who had developed the idea and done the research worked for the CPP, in the very building Sleep Squad was about to break into. The very building that Dream Eater examined now. The building was like most corporation buildings: glass windows on all sides and twice as tall as the structures around it, including the tenement Sleep Squad was inside.

The building was purely intended to give CPP professors a location with resources to do research on Pokemon on other things related to Pokemon. As Dream Eater had heard, one professor had looked into an idea that was not approved by the main CPP operatives, and so he had been forced to abandon the idea before long. However, Team Dominion had received intelligence that the professor had made a solid foundation for his idea, one that would allow the scientists of Team Dominion to complete the concept so they could use it for their great benefit.

The problem was that Sleep Squad would have to break into this building, find the correct professor, and force him to give them the information they needed. This might have seemed like an easy task, but it was not. Team Dominion had begun invading CPP buildings very frequently, and so many places had begun to take caution by adding and reinforcing security. Armed guards roamed the floors of the building. One slip and a member of Sleep Squad could find themselves in eternal rest.

Although, this heist _would_ definitely be easier than it had been before, now that they had Trans-attacks. The devices allowed Sleep Squad to exploit their signature moves. As the name suggested, the Pokemon of all six members of the squad knew Hypnosis. They would be able to put the guards and professors to sleep while they took what they needed.

_Of course, _Dream Eater thought with a wicked grin, _That doesn't mean we can't do a little damage before then. _

"Alright," Came the voice in the earpiece again, "Everyone, position yourselves."

All six members of the squad walked to the center of the apartment, forming a circle. They all wore earpieces, so they could all hear the same voice Dream Eater heard. Four were male, and two were female. They wore all black, with bulletproof vests in case they were shot at and backpacks to store whatever they found that would contribute to Team Dominion's cause. None of them held weapons; they had specific orders not to kill unless needed to. Team Dominion's leader had said they didn't want to attract any extra attention, even though breaking in and stealing confidential and most likely illegal research would draw a lot of attention. However, Dream Eater and the rest of Sleep Squad would oblige.

One of them withdrew a Poke ball and opened it. A flash of light illuminated the dim room for a moment before it settled back into darkness. A Gallade straightened in the center of the circle the squad members had formed. However, unlike most Gallade, it had a device in the shape of a metal bracelet around its right arm. A Trans-attack. The device had a shining blue light on it, indicating that it was active. Gallade would be essential to get inside the building.

The squad waited only a moment longer before the signal came.

"Go!" The voice in the earpiece said.

"Alright, you know where to take us," The owner of the Gallade told it. "Teleport!"

The Gallade crouched down before Dream Eater was disoriented for a moment as his eyes were filled with light. Then it was over, and he was inside the building he had looking at from across the street a moment before. The five others and the Gallade were with him, too, all in the same position they had been in before they had teleported. They stood in a stairwell in the building.

Dream Eater heard footsteps coming from above. They were running. The guards must have heard the sound of the Teleport. He turned, looking for a door. There were none. To reach the next door, he would've had to go up a set of stairs or down a set of stairs.

"Everyone get your Pokemon ready!" One of the squad members said. He was called Submission. "We've got company!"

Everyone else sent out their own Pokemon. Like Gallade, they all had a Trans-attack placed somewhere on their body. Their full team consisted of a Noctowl, a Hypno, a Stantler, a Poliwrath, a Gallade, and Dream Eater's own Pokemon, a Gengar named Midnight. Midnight had its own Trans-attack wrapped around its ankle.

Two guards armed with rifles came into view as they descended. They had apparently heard about the Trans-attacks; they didn't hesitate to fire their weapons down on Sleep Squad. But the guards had been too slow. Gallade swiftly jumped in front of everyone else, held out its arms, and used Protect, preventing anyone else from being hit. The bullets harmlessly bounced off its body, making a dinging noise as they hit the concrete floor. As soon as the guards needed to reload, the other five Pokemon stood in front and all used Hypnosis. The guards' eyelids fluttered, and they collapsed as they fell into a deep sleep.

"Are you going to drain them?" Extrasensory asked Dream Eater.

Dream Eater shook his head. "Better if I save the PP for when Midnight actually takes some damage."

Extrasensory nodded. "Alright, guys," She said. "Let's find this professor. We're directly in the middle between the top and bottom floors. I'll take Confusion and Submission down to search the lower floors. Dream Eater, I want you to take Psybeam and Astonish and look through the upper levels.

Everyone nodded, and they ran their separate ways to carry out the heist. One team went up, and the other down. Dream Eater had Psybeam and his Hypno with him, as well as Astonish and her Stantler.

Psybeam was the second-youngest member in Sleep Squad at 26 years of age. He had joined only a few weeks ago and been assigned to Sleep Squad. He had the talent it crime, and his Hypno was fairly powerful, but he was inexperienced.

Astonish was of a similar nature. She was a year younger than Psybeam, and she was even more of an amateur than Psybeam. She was assigned to Sleep Squad less than a week ago; this was her first mission.

Extrasensory had given Dream Eater the duty of looking after both of them, as he was one of the most experienced in this area of expertise out of all of not just Sleep Squad, but all of Team Dominion. It was an annoying responsibility to have, but the two had fairly decent Pokemon with them so he could tolerate it.

He found three guards waiting there, all pointing their guns at him. Dream Eater frantically closed the door and backed away as a rain of bullets sounded from the other side.

Psybeam snickered. "Careful, there," He said. "You almost got an ass full of bullets."

Dream Eater scowled. _Had it been you who opened the door, Psybeam, _He thought, _You wouldn't have been able to react quickly enough. You would've been gunned down in seconds. _

"What do we do?" Astonish asked. "None of our Pokemon know Protect."

"Astonish, I want you to open the door when I tell you to," Dream Eater said.

"Okay," She said, standing in front of the door and wrapping her fingers around the handle.

"What do you need me to do?" Psybeam asked.

"Nothing," Dream Eater said. "Leave this one to me."

It was Psybeam's turn to scowl. Dream Eater forced himself not to smile. He turned to Midnight. The Gengar had a sinister smile on its face at all times. Its eyes were a menacing red that tormented the soul as you looked into them. It looked ready. Ready for blood.

"Alright, Midnight," Dream Eater said. "As soon as she opens that door, I want you to use Thunderbolt."

Midnight's smile grew. It placed itself a few feet from Astonish and the door and held out his hands. Yellow electricity began to crackle between its fingertips. It waited for the door to be opened.

Bullets were still hitting the wall. Dream Eater waited until there was a pause. The guns had stopped firing for a moment.

"Now," Dream Eater said.

Astonish yanked the door open and held it there. From where Dream Eater was, he couldn't see the guards. He could only imagine their looks of horror as Midnight released his energy. A large yellow thunderbolt shot through the open door. There was a loud booming noise as Dream Eater heard the shouts of guards.

Astonish peeked out into the hallway from behind the door. Dream Eater looked beyond the doorway as well. Two guards were still conscious. They were trying to stand slowly; the impact from the thunderbolt had weakened them. The third guard laid motionless on the floor, a burn mark on his uniform in the chest area. He had been the one hit by Thunderbolt.

Dream Eater turned to Psybeam. "I want you to finish them off," He said. "Make sure they won't be getting up for a while. Then I want you to search this floor. If you don't find him, come find us. I'll take Astonish with me."

Psybeam grinned. "Sure. Leave it to me." With that, he and his Hypno wen through the doorway. Astonish closed the metal door behind them.

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" Astonish asked. "I thought he was new here, like me."

"He'll be fine," Dream Eater said. " But you need to stop worrying about anyone else on the squad. None of us should matter to you except yourself. If you spend your time concerned about someone else, you'll find yourself dead."

"I didn't-" She looked down. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing, too. It's annoying."

Dream Eater and Midnight began ascending the steps again, Astonish and her Stantler close behind. When they reached the next floor, they ran into more guards.

"Are you ready?" Dream Eater asked. "I'll need you to open the door again."

Astonish nodded and grabbed the handle.

It went like this for the next half-hour. They would reach a floor, Astonish would provide assistance, and Midnight would clean out the resistance. However, none of the scientists they found were the one Team Dominion was looking for. Extrasensory didn't check in on Dream Eater or say that she had found the professor. She was probably too busy fighting.

Dream Eater was starting to get annoyed. Psybeam hadn't caught up yet. This was unusual. Psybeam seemed like the kind of person who didn't like to delay; he liked to get the job done as quickly as possible.

_What if he was captured? _Dream Eater considered. _No, that's not likely. Dead? Maybe._

Before he had too much time to think, he had reached his eleventh floor since he arrived. Astonish prepared to open the door once more, and Midnight got into position. However, when she threw open the door, no guards were there.

_Trap. It's definitely a trap._

Regardless, Dream Eater walked through the doorway, his feet beginning to meet smooth marble instead of cement. If it was a trap, he would gladly trigger it. He doubted he could be stopped with a simple ambush. Astonish stayed behind, waiting in the stairwell.

"What if its a trap?" She asked.

"I know its a trap," Dream Eater said. "I simply don't care."

Midnight followed Dream Eater into the hallway of floor twenty-six. As soon as both were through, the door slammed shut behind them. Dream Eater snapped around and pressed himself against the door before starting to pound his fist against it.

_Damn! An electronic door!_

Dream Eater heard the sounds of footsteps from the other side of the door. He then heard voices, not Astonish's voices, but the voices of guards. Dream Eater heard Astonish shout a command to her Stantler before a commotion began to sound from inside the stairwell. After a moment, he heard two thumps hit the floor.

Dream Eater let out a sigh. _Good. Astonish was able to fend them off. Now we'll just need to-_

Then he heard the sounds of voices he didn't recognize. Dream Eater's eyes widened in realization. They were guards' voices, and they were talking into their radio. He backed away from the door and pointed at it.

"Midnight, Shadow Ball!" He said.

Midnight formed a small ball of dark energy before launching it at the door. It placed a huge dent in it as it struck, but the door remained closed.

_Dammit! _Dream Eater gritted his teeth.

"Quite unfortunate, isn't it?"

Dream Eater turned to his right. Down the hallway, a woman in a white lab coat and glasses stood. She had short hair that had been dyed purple, and she looked to be about the same age as Dream Eater himself. Midnight went on guard.

"Who are you?" Dream Eater asked.

The woman adjusted her glasses. "I am Professor Holly." She said. I work in this building, and I do not like to see it be broken into. Therefore, I will be assisting in your disposal." She took a Poke ball out from her coat and threw it down the hall. As soon as it hit the ground, there was a flash of light as a Lopunny. The rabbit Pokemon stood confidently, its long, fluffy ears twitching slightly.

Dream Eater smirked. "Use Thunderbolt," He told Midnight. "But not on the Lopunny. Use it on the woman."

His Gengar created a bolt of lightning and launched it at the professor, who stood calmly, hands concealed in her coat pockets. Her Lopunny, however, reacted quickly. She jumped in front of the bolt and hit it with her palm. The bolt changed course and began streaking right towards Dream Eater, who barely was able to get out of the way before the bolt struck his face. A crash came from the end of the hall as the bolt shattered the glass wall behind him. He turned back to face Professor Holly.

"That's right," She said. "I noticed how your devices work. They enable Pokemon to damage humans. It's a rather fine idea, one I'm sad I wasn't able to come up with. But any move you throw at me, I can simply tell Fluff here to return it to sender, and it'll harm you instead." She smirked for a moment before her face became serious again. "But I have to say, I'm surprised. I thought the first thing you would do is ask about your friends."

Dream Eater's eyes narrowed.

"Ah, yes," The professor continued. "The boy was rather easy to disable. One of my colleagues handled him with his Onix. Knocked both him and his Hypno out. He'll be taken in for questioning by the police, as well as the other one you were with."

_They got Psybeam, too? _Dream Eater thought. _This is all going wrong! But what about the other squad members?_

He didn't have to wait long before Holly answered that question in her monologue. "The other three you were with are turning out to be quite difficult, quite difficult indeed," She said. "They're staying together a lot better than you did, and they've been able to fend us off so far. But everything cracks under pressure, eventually."

Dream Eater gave a small sigh of relief. _So, I still have a chance of escaping. But first, I'll have to deal with this bitch._

He readied himself and planned out his strategy. He wouldn't want to worry about Lopunny. If he wanted to get this done quickly, he would have to get around her Pokemon and use an attack on her.

"Ready to fight, are we?" Holly giggled. The sound made Dream Eater cringe in annoyance. "The thing is, this doesn't seem very fair, seeing how you're able to attack my body but I can't attack yours. Oh, I know! Come to me, Fluff!"

Lopunny bounded back to where Holly stood. The professor held up a bracelet. Dream Eater squinted, and a cold realization came over him. It was a Trans-attack. Holly placed it on her Pokemon's arm.

"My colleague noticed this on Hypno," She explained. "He took it off and had his Onix bring it to me. Am I correct in assuming that this device is what allows you to harm people?"

Dream Eater grimaced. However, he was confident in his matchup. Lopunny knew mostly normal-type and Fighting-type moves, which wouldn't affect Midnight's ghost-type body. In addition, while Shadow Ball wouldn't affect Lopunny, it could still be affected by all of the Gengar's other attacks. They would just have to watch out for Mirror Coat.

"Now," Holly said when she finished attaching the Trans-attack. "Let's begin! It's a fair fight now, especially you don't have your friends to use as shields."

Dream Eater smiled wickedly. "I wouldn't be so sure. I think I'm better off without them."

"Really?" Holly asked. "How is that?"

"I don't have to worry about hitting them when they get in my way."

Holly grinned. "Interesting. Well, then, Fluff, use Ice Punch!"

_Wait, what?!_

Midnight had no time to react. It was socked directly in its teeth as was blown backward by the force of the punch. Icicles formed on its body that Midnight tried to remove.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Holly said. "I used a Technical Machine to teach Fluff that move since all of its other attacks were so boring."

Dream Eater was familiar with Technical Machines. In fact, he had used three on Midnight so it could learn Shadow Ball and Dream Eater at earlier levels, and so it could use Thunderbolt. While Lopunny's TMs complicated things, Dream Eater still thought he'd be able to pull through.

"Hypnosis!" Dream Eater said.

"Look away, Fluff!" Holly said. Lopunny placed its ears on its eyes as the Hypnosis waves drifted ineffectively over it.

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

Midnight took advantage of Lopunny's temporary blindness and launched a bolt of lightning at Lopunny. It hit the rabbit Pokemon in the stomach and forced it backward. It held its ground, however, its feet sliding across the floor.

"Stay mobile!" Dream Eater said. "Don't let it manage to hit you with another attack!"

Holly kept commanding Lopunny to attack until Dream Eater became familiar with its full moveset. Apparently, this woman had taught her Pokemon Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and Mirror Coat. A rather strange moveset, but it didn't matter. All of these damaging attacks were physical, and since Midnight was faster, it would only have to evade while it searched for openings.

"Fire Punch, again!" Holly ordered.

Lopunny's fist was engulfed in flames as it tried to strike Midnight once more. It missed again, its attack smashing the ground where Midnight had been a moment before.

"Now, Hypnosis, while there's a window!" Dream Eater said.

Midnight stared into Lopunny's open eyes and sent her into sleep. It dropped to the ground and began to snooze.

"No!" Holly screamed.

"Now then," Dream Eater muttered. It was time for his signature move, the one he used as his name.

"Eat its dream."

Midnight opened its mouth. The two humans watched, one smiling, the other shaking, as silver threads began flowing out of Lopunny's ears, mouth, eyes, and nostrils and into Midnight's grinning mouth. Lopunny began to thrash on the ground.

Not only did this move deal a lot of damage, but Lopunny would stay asleep for a while, most likely for enough time so that Midnight could completely drain it of its HP. It would also heal the wound the Gengar had sustained from the first Ice Punch.

Holly screamed and started running towards Midnight as if to try and stop it, but she had reacted too late. Midnight finished its meal and had enough time to launch a Thunderbolt at the Professor's gut.

Normally, the attack would simply make the professor stagger a bit, causing pain comparable to a very strong static shock. However, with the Trans-attack, she was blown backward, screaming in pain as she was launched. A hole appeared in her lab coat, black and smoking at the edges. The skin revealed by the ruined clothing was seared black by the bolt as well.

Dream Eater and his Gengar approached the professor while she coughed, cried in pain, and laid on the floor, defeated. Dream Eater grabbed her by her white lab coat and held her up. She began shaking as she struggled, but Dream Eater held her firmly in place.

"Now, where could I find your research?" He asked.

"My research?" She asked while wincing in pain, confused. "Why would you want-"

"You used a Trans-attack against me." Dream Eater said. "While a lot of other people would think that it would help, it's deemed illegal by the CPP to use one at all. You're one who doesn't go by the book. The exact type of person who would make that special Poke ball."

Holly's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"I do," He said. "And if you give it to me now, I won't ask Midnight here to eat your dream too."

Holly looked past Dream Eater and Midnight to where her Lopunny was sprawled on the floor. Dream Eater smiled.

_She must know how terrifying and painful it is to have your dream eaten._

"Alright," She said nervously. "I'll give you the research. Let me take you to my office."

Dream Eater jerked the woman to her feet and followed her as she limped down the hallway. She kept trying to place her hand on her stomach where Midnight's Thunderbolt struck, but yanked her hand away when she made contact, cringing at the pain. When they reached her office, she sat down at a PC and began booting up the system.

"Oh, and I want you to deactivate the thing that's preventing our comms from working," Dream Eater said.

Holly hesitated for a moment, and Dream Eater was about to have Midnight use Shadow Ball to motivate her. But this was not necessary. The professor began tapping keys and clicking the mouse a few times.

"It's done," She said. "You'll just have to wait a little bit while I save the research to a flash drive."

Dream Eater pressed a finger against his ear. "Extrasensory, are you there?" He asked.

There was a moment of static before Dream Eater heard the squad leader's voice.

"Dream Eater?" She asked, sounding exhausted. There was a loud noise coming from the other end. Sounds of the battle. "What happened? Is everyone with you okay?"

"That doesn't matter," He responded. "I found the professor. She's giving me the information now."

Holly snapped her fingers to get his attention and pointed at the monitor. Dream Eater leaned over her chair and looked it over. He confirmed it was what Team Dominion was looking for before nodding. Holly plugged in a flash drive and began saving the files.

"You found the professor?" Extrasensory asked. "Finally! We can get out of here."

"Do you still had Confusion with you?" Dream Eater asked.

"Yeah, everyone's here except you, Psybeam and Astonish. Did something happen to them? Are they-"

"Good," Dream Eater interrupted. "I want to talk to him."

Confusion came on a second later. "Dream?"

"Is your Gallade still in good shape, Confusion?" Dream Eater asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Good. We need to get out of here. I want you to meet me by one of the windows on your floor on the south side of the building."

"Okay, how are you going to get down here?"

"I'll jump."

Holly unplugged the flash drive and handed it to Dream Eater, who placed it in one of his pockets. Midnight used Hypnosis on her a moment later, and the professor slumped in her office chair, snoring. Dream Eater returned his Gengar to its Poke ball and left the office, heading in the direction where the battle took place.

"You're going to jump?!" Extrasensory asked. "Are you insane?!"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Dream Eater said. "Every psychologist my parents took me to see in my teenage years determined that I was mentally unstable. Do you see what I'm trying to do, Confusion?"

"Uh, yeah," Dream Eater was able to make out over Extrasensory's yelling. "Give us some time to get over to the south side. Any particular place you want?"

"It'll be a little to the right," Dream Eater said as he stepped over Lopunny's limp body. He approached the window the reflected Thunderbolt had shattered. He stuck his head out and looked to the ground below. He saw another window about twenty floors below him and a little to the left shatter, the glass pieces falling through the air. A head poked out of the window, and its eyes fell upon Dream Eater.

"Holy crap," Confusion said in Dream Eater's earpiece. "You actually want to do this."

"Why wouldn't I?" Dream Eater asked. "It's a fairly quick getaway option. Are you ready?"

"Give us a second," Confusion said. There was a small pause. "Okay, ready," He said.

"Just wait until I'm right next to you, then go," Dream Eater said. Then he jumped.

He plummeted toward the ground, reaching the other floor in a matter of moments. When he reached his squadmates, they all jumped out with him. Gallade jumped out, too. Confusion shouted one word as they fell together.

"Teleport!"

The four members of Team Dominion disappeared from the night in a flash of light.


	11. Representatives

**Representatives**

* * *

_They have had some time to and grow and develop for the past few months._

_They will soon be meeting up once more; I can feel it._

_I wonder how they will interact now, under different circumstances than before?_

* * *

HEIST ON CPP FACILITY: TEAM DOMINION STRIKES AGAIN

December 10, 2019

Last night, around 12:45 AM, a CPP facility was raided by a group of criminals. It was said that the convicts teleported inside the building using a Pokemon before splitting up to make a run through each floor. After about half an hour, they jumped from the windows and teleported away. Police were not able to find them after that.

Police were able to capture two of the six members of the group. So far, they have only been able to gather that Team Dominion was behind the attack. Team Dominion is a criminal group that focuses on using Pokemon to accomplish what they want. They've risen in popularity among other criminal organizations in the past few months after raiding two other CPP facilities like this one. It remains unknown what the ultimate goal of the organization is, but the professors last night said that it can't be good at all.

So far, the CPP has neglected to reveal what, if anything, was taken from the building. Rumors are saying that the group stole research a professor had been developing, research that was supposed to be kept a secret from anybody outside of the CPP. It is unclear what the research might have been, though there are some speculations.

Guards and professors who were in the building at the time said that each member had a Pokemon in order to assist them in their crime, which leaves many people confused. Sure, Pokemon would have been to teleport inside of the building, but then you would need only one. After all, it's a well-known fact that Pokemon can't do any damage to humans with special attacks; physical attacks are the only things that really work. Even then, you might as well just bring along a trained dog.

This, along with the injuries that were seen on some guards and professors, is leading people to think that a something is allowing Pokemon to actually be able to harm humans, the concept of which is terrifying. We've asked the CPP about these rumors, but they denied that such a thing was possible. However, people are growing suspicious. What if such a thing does exist, and the CPP is just hiding it? What if, even, it had the potential to kill a human?

Either way, authorities are still working on extracting more information from the two captured convicts. Soon, hopefully, they'll tell us their plan, as well as where their hideout may be so that it can be taken down.

* * *

"Oh, man."

Kyle sat in the chair next to his desk in his room. He had just finished reading the article posted about the heist on a CPP building that had occurred last night. He swiped his thumb down his phone screen to reread the article and make sure he didn't skip over anything. When he was done, he put his phone on his desk and leaned back in his chair.

_Team Dominion, huh? _Kyle thought. _That's the third building they've raided since they started showing up on the internet. _

It was unsettling. A Pokemon that could hurt a human with their abilities? Eevee using Tackle on a person was one thing, something that didn't do much harm except knock someone over. But what if it was Judgement instead? An attack like that could do a lot of harm if it was used against a human. In addition, what if Team Dominion wasn't the only group that had this capability? Anyone might be able to do something like this. This thought was what unsettled Kyle's mind.

He knew a Pokemon would be able to punch or bite him, but that was like any other dog, something that didn't concern Kyle too much. But, the fact that he could have his face burnt off by Fireball worried him.

Kyle explored these thoughts some more before his phone buzzed. He picked it up and read the message he had received. It was from Carol.

_Hey, _She had texted. _My brother wants to go to the park to battle some trainers. Wanna come along?_

Kyle smiled. He had needed something to do on his day off from school, and this was a perfect opportunity. He glanced at his bed where his sleeping Eevee laid. Kyle had taken a page from Mr. Robert's book and had started calling it Eve rather than giving it an actual name. He liked it better this way.

As soon as Eve woke up, it would be more than ready to battle. _Yeah, sure, _Kyle texted.

_Ask Adrien if he wants to come, too, _Carol texted back.

Kyle thought about what Adrien had said. Ever since he had revealed that he had a thing for Carol, Kyle had been wary about having those two around each other. But Adrien was a good guy to have around; he was a great friend. He had also said that Kyle could have Carol and that just being her friend was enough for him. Kyle knew that couldn't have been an easy decision for him to make, but he was glad all the same.

_K, _He texted.

* * *

Adrien laid on the floor of his room, clutching his head. His spontaneous headache was more painful than it usually was. It felt like someone was screaming inside of his head, and the vibrations were shaking his brain so that it banged against his skull. He pressed his lips against the pain as he tried to endure it, remaining still and curling up slightly.

His severe anxiety did this to him rather often. Usually, he was able to hide it, but this one was rather painful indeed. He was lucky that he had been in his room when it had struck him. Had he been at school or out in public, he would attract a lot of attention.

The only good thing about these headaches was that it helped him forget about the dark, empty pit in his stomach, created by his depression. Pain helped with a lot of things that happened inside of Adrien's mind.

Adrien's Pikachu, which he called Chu, crouched on the floor near his head. It looked at Adrien with a concerned expression, its black eyes watering. It seemed to hate to see Adrien like this, and it seemed like it wanted to do something about it. But there was nothing it _could_ do but simply watch as Adrien fought an internal battle in his eternal war.

Adrien smiled weakly as he placed a hand on Chu, trying to comfort it.

"I'm alright, buddy," He said encouragingly, wincing. "I'll be alright."

Adrien heard his phone buzz on his nightstand. He struggled to stand; the pain often made his body feel weaker. Chu poised itself as if it was going to try and catch Adrien if he fell. Adrien smiled at the spectacle and winced as he took his hand off of his head to grab his phone and examine it. Kyle had sent a message to him.

_Hey, _it read. _Carol and I are heading to the park with her little brother. You want to come along?_

Adrien instinctively placed a hand on his stomach as the pit there seemed to grow deeper. He didn't resent Kyle for being Carol's best friend, or for being her most possible love interest. He didn't really resent anybody but himself. Kyle deserved to be with her, and he knew that everyone would be better off if he simply kept to himself.

Adrien sent his reply, saying that he'll be there. He opened a drawer in his nightstand and took out a bottle of Motrin. He swallowed two pills before putting Chu in its Poke ball and heading out the door to meet with his friends. His headache faded to a dull throbbing.

But it didn't leave. It always seemed that it never did.

* * *

Jordan was walking down the sidewalk, the fluffy snow crunching beneath his boots. He shoved his hands deeper into the pockets of his winter jacket as he tried to withstand the cold; he hadn't worn gloves. This winter was a chilly one, much more freezing than it had been last year. It might be more bearable if Fireball was outside of its ball, but Jordan didn't want to take it out yet. He was just about the only person who had received a Chimchar in his area, so it was easy for others to identify him. This was something he hadn't wanted ever since that day.

After his battle with Kyle, everyone in the area became aware of Jordan's motives, which they did not know were false. They were simply the motives of the persona he had created, a persona he still was having trouble getting rid of. Jordan wanted to be better than he had been for the past few years, but he knew the path to redemption would be rough. His feet would have to withstand many cuts along the way.

People had posted the fight online, as well as Jordan's "speech" about how Eevee belonged to him. It was an instance Jordan cringed at daily. He had become everyone's enemy. Nobody wanted to hang out with him. Nobody even wanted to talk to him; almost everyone he had known had blocked him on social media. The only one who was still there was Adrien, but even he had chosen to hang out with Kyle and his unattractive friend more than him. Not only that, but he had also gone against the deal he himself had made. Who could blame him, though? Jordan had, after all, left him completely alone. Now it was his turn to be lonely. These thoughts made Jordan furious with himself.

The only way he knew he could burn off steam was battling. Unfortunately, his Pokemon revealed who he was when he battled someone. Most people battled him anyway, but Jordan still felt uncomfortable when someone called him out, saying, "Hey! You're that dick who wanted to steal that guy's Pokemon!"

Jordan didn't hate Kyle for what had happened. His real self didn't, anyway. His persona, however, detested Kyle with every fiber of its being. It hated that Kyle hadn't lived up to the agreement. That Eevee should be with Jordan.

Jordan's heart disagreed. It said that Eevee belonged to nobody else but Kyle and that Kyle himself was the best fit for it. They had the potential to grow very strong as trainer and Pokemon. They were perfect for each other. Jordan admired that about them.

Of course, his heart knew that Fireball was great, too, though his persona disagreed, believing that Fireball was too weak. Jordan's heart argued with his persona, saying that the Chimchar was able to defeat Eevee in their battle, making it stronger. The persona countered by pointing out that Jordan was a better trainer, which is why they won. Had the Pokemon been reversed, it said, the outcome still would have been the same.

These types of battles between his two selves only succeeded in giving him a headache. He didn't even know which one was him anymore, or which one he wanted to listen to. All he knew was that he needed to get rid of one of them, and soon. It was driving him insane.

Adrien said that he should try to listen to his heart more and to get rid of his false persona. Jordan liked this option, but his persona had no intention of leaving anytime soon. It was still very apparent in Jordan's attitude and actions. He definitely wanted to be nicer and more understanding to people, but his persona wouldn't have it.

Adrien had greatly encouraged Jordan to start hanging out with him and Kyle. Jordan's heart got excited at the thought. Jordan had wanted to be friends with Kyle since they had met; he admired him, in a way. He just had a strength to him that Jordan couldn't describe, it made him seem powerful. The persona kept insisting that he was worthless and weak of will, which had made Kyle into Jordan's enemy and destroyed any hope of befriending him.

Jordan would be trying to make friends with Kyle again soon. He just wasn't ready yet. He needed some more time.

He turned at a street corner and the park came into view. It was mostly an open field, with a playground in one corner and some trees speckled here and there. There were a few places where picnic tables were set up. People sat eating their lunches for the day. There were a lot of Pokemon battles going on; this was something that had become extremely popular in the park since Pokemon had been distributed.

There were a lot of people there of all ages. Some of them, even, Jordan knew from school. He grimaced at the thought of having to face them but kept walking anyway. Maybe he could avoid them.

He noticed his real problem a moment later. He froze for an instant before quickly darting behind the nearest tree. A girl his age was standing at the edge of the park with a small boy. She wore a white beanie with a dark blue winter coat and jeans. A Dratini was wrapped around her neck like a scarf.

_What is _she _doing here?_ Jordan thought.

* * *

"When can we start battling?" Carol's little brother, Noah, asked, his voice muffled by the scarf he wore.

Carol looked down at her little brother, who was a little over nine. He was growing impatient, that she could tell. He was practically hopping up and down with anticipation. His beanie was too big for his head; it almost covered his eyes. His scarf was a red-colored plaid that obscured his neck, chin, and most of his mouth. Their mother had been very worried about the effect of the cold on Noah. Carol had told her not to worry in vain.

_I don't even know if he _could _get cold with all of that energy, _Carol thought.

Carol smiled. "Soon, okay? We're just waiting for a few friends."

"Your boyfriend?" Noah asked innocently.

"No, he's not my boyfriend," Carol insisted. _Though that would certainly be nice. _

"But it's him, right? Kyle?"

"Yeah, that's right. Along with one other guy."

"Wow, I didn't know you had _two_ boyfriends!"

Carol sighed and Scarf shook slightly. She realized it was laughing. Sometimes, she just had to deal with what came out of Noah's mouth. She loved her brother, but sometimes some things slipped out of his mouth that should stay in his head. Carol would let that one slide.

She caught sight of Adrien heading their way. She smiled when she saw him and waved. He gave a slight smile in return. He wasn't wearing a hat or scarf. In fact, he was only wearing what he always wore, besides the gloves: a simple black jacket and jeans.

"Aren't you cold?" Carol asked.

Adrien shook his head. "Not really. I don't usually get cold easily."

"Iceman?" Carol asked.

Adrien chuckled. "Not exactly."

"Are you my sister's boyfriend?" Noah asked suddenly.

Carol placed her hand on her face to hide her embarrassment. Adrien raised his eyebrows at Noah, then at Carol. He started to place his hands on his wrists and rub them a little. Maybe he _was_ cold, after all.

"Uh, no, I'm not," Adrien said. "I'm just a friend."

"Oh," Noah said, clearly disappointed. "I'm Noah! I'm her brother."

"Yeah, um, I'm Adrien. I'm her, uh, regular friend."

"Do you know where Kyle is, Adrien?" Carol asked. She had all of a sudden realized that it would be good if they could start battling as soon as possible. "I _did_ text him first, so I thought he would show up before you."

"Oh," Adrien said. He stopped rubbing his wrists. "I live pretty close by," He said. "I'd be surprised if he got here before me, even with a little head start."

Just then, a car pulled up right in front of them. Carol recognized it as Chelsey's, Kyle's sister. The passenger door opened and Kyle stepped out. Except for the black beanie on his head, Kyle also wasn't any additional clothing to the traditional outfit he wore.

"Thanks!" Kyle said to the driver. "I'll see you later!"

"Have fun, guys!" Carol heard Chelsey say from the car.

"We will!" Carol said, waving as the car started moving away from them.

Kyle hurried up to the trio. Scarf extended a bit from Carol's neck towards Kyle. It had taken a liking to him, almost as much as it had toward Carol.

"Damn," Carol said, looking once more at Kyle and Adrien's out-of-season outfits. "How are neither of you freezing?!"

Kyle and Adrien both shrugged. "Sorry, by the way." Kyle said. "I hope you weren't waiting on me."

Carol was about to say that it was fine and that she was glad he could join them when Noah spoke up.

"You better be!" Noah huffed. "Just _think_ about the XP I could have gotten in the time it took you to get here!"

Kyle laughed, and Adrien chuckled. Carol sighed again.

"Shall we?" she said.

"Yeah," Kyle said. Then he looked and pointed a gloved finger at Adrien. "You. We're fighting again."

Adrien smiled. "Oh, really?" He asked. "Seeking some redemption?"

Kyle scowled playfully. "It's not going to be the same as last time. Eve's gotten stronger since then."

"Yeah, well, so has Chu," Adrien said. "Besides..."

Adrien took a Poke ball from his jacket pocket and enlarged it. He released the Pokemon inside. A Pikachu straightened on the ground and let off a few sparks of electricity. Its eyes squinted a little as it smiled at everyone.

"You haven't fought us since Chu evolved," Adrien said. "Still confident?"

"Wow!" Noah exclaimed. "So that's what a Pikachu looks like!" He dropped to his knees to pet the electric mouse, which was very compliant to let him.

Kyle placed scratched his head. "I mean, I could go home and evolve Eve real quick if I wanted to," He muttered. "But whatever," He said, smiling again. "I still think I have a shot."

Adrien shrugged, grinning. "If you say so."


	12. To Seize What Should Not Be Seizable

**To Seize What Should Not Be Seizable**

* * *

_Despicable beings._

_Their design represents a depressing sense of morality._

_My representatives…_

_I hope you will be able to fix this._

* * *

**Twelve hours earlier**

Dream Eater sat in an office chair at a table in one of the rooms of the squad's hideout. He was bored and had nothing to do, so he had decided to check on Extrasensory, who was completing the designs for the research they had stolen a few hours ago. Sleep Squad's leader was sitting across the rectangular table, working at a computer.

Midnight was in its Poke ball, which Dream Eater tossed to himself as he leaned back in his seat. He sighed. He had let two of their members get captured. He knew he should probably be worried about them, but he wasn't. Not only did they mean very little to him, but they also didn't know any valuable information. Since they were the two newest members, important information had been withheld from them, including what their plains were besides world domination and where the main hideout of Team Dominion was.

Sure, they might have known where this location was, and Dream Eater and the others were taking a big risk by staying a bit longer, but they all had confidence the two prisoners would be able to hold out long enough for the rest of Sleep Squad to escape. Luck seemed to be on their side. Still, Dream Eater knew that Extrasensory was trying to work fast, and Confusion had his Pokemon ready for when they were prepared to leave.

"How much longer do you have?" Dream Eater asked.

"I'll need fifteen more minutes," Extrasensory replied. "Then I'll be able to send the schematics over to the engineers, who will be able to start production only a short while later. After that, their flying Pokemon will distribute the products."

"Who are they taking them to?" Dream Eater asked.

"Anyone who is a veteran member on our servers," Extrasensory said. "Mostly the ones who inputted their addresses."

Team Dominion had a classified webpage only certain people have access to. They had to have trainer accounts registered to the CPP system, and they couldn't have a Pokemon already. Once they registered into the Team Dominion system using their trainer account, the original account was severed from the CPP database by Team Dominion's hackers. Team Dominion had created a society of everyday trainers who were all willing to use any means necessary to get their own Pokemon. They were the organization's army.

"Is that wise?" Dream Eater asked. "What if someone decided to use our product to work against us?"

Extrasensory shook her head. "The boss doesn't think so. These devices that we're distributing are illegal. Not only that, but how many people do you think would rather turn us in than get their very own Pokemon? You know how society is."

Dream Eater nodded. "They are selfish creatures who wish to meet their own personal needs."

"Exactly," Extrasensory said. "Not only that, but this will give them a reason to be loyal to our cause when the CPP finally starts treating our destruction as a priority."

"So, when will they be getting these in the mail?"

Extrasensory smiled. "Somewhere around eight to noon today."

Dream Eater nodded. "Good. This will be interesting to watch."

* * *

**Now**

Kyle walked through the snow-covered park with his friends. He had let his Eevee out of it's Pokeball, and it bounded and rolled through the fluffy whiteness. Kyle had quickly discovered at the first fall of snow that Eve absolutely _loved_ it. As soon as it had come down, Eve had been begging to go outside every snow day. It would remain there for around an hour before it became even slightly frigid. Kyle smiled every time he saw his Eevee enjoying itself so much.

Adrien's Pikachu had a similar addiction to the snow. It pranced right beside Eve and occasionally threw clumps of snow at it with its tail. Adrien seemed to like watching his Pokemon playing happily as well.

Scarf, however, was a different case. The Dratini's grasp on Carol's neck was tighter than it usually was, to the point where she had to point it out to her Pokemon every now and then so it could loosen up before slowly curling tighter again. It seemed to be wary of the snow. In fact, Carol had said that Scarf hated any type of cold and that it frequently tried to distance itself from any source of it. The only reason Scarf wasn't signaling that it wanted to go back in its Pokeball, Carol speculated, was that it still felt safe for now on her shoulders.

Noah had released his Pokemon as well. His steel-type Aron, which he called Shine, wasn't necessarily fascinated by the snow, but nor was it discomforted by it. It trotted on its four legs next to Noah, looking warily at the other Pokemon. Noah had explained that Shine often was suspicious of other Pokemon attacking it out of nowhere. Considering an Aron's defense stat, Kyle would've thought that it shouldn't have to worry about that.

"Wait," Carol said. "Your Pichu didn't evolve after leveling up?" The group was talking about Chu's evolution that had happened a few weeks ago.

Adrien shook his head as Kyle explained.

"It doesn't evolve based on level, according to the CPP," he said. "It evolves when it's bonded enough to the trainer, which means Adrien must have a really strong bond with Chu."

"But that means that it achieved a bond strong enough at that time for a reason!" Carol said. She turned to Adrien. "So what was happening at the time?" She asked.

"Uh, let me think," Adrien said. He thought for a moment before answering. "That's right. We had just won our twentieth match in a row."

Kyle's jaw dropped. "What?! Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not," Adrien said. "In fact, we haven't even lost a match yet."

_It doesn't even sound like he's bragging! _Kyle thought.

"Never lost a battle, huh?" Carol remarked. "Well then, Kyle, I guess you'll have to be the first to beat him!"

"I mean, I guess," Kyle said. The four of them walked a little more.

"I wish _my _Pokemon would evolve!" Noah complained after a while.

"What level is Shine right now, Noah?" Kyle asked.

"Twenty-three," Noah said.

"Yeah," Kyle said, chuckling, recalling Aron's evolution level. "You've still got at least ten more levels to go through."

"Awwwww!" Noah whined.

Carol laughed. "I feel you, Noah. Scarf needs nine more levels to evolve, but it won't really become that powerful until level fifty-five." She sighed. "I've got a long way to go."

"What level is it at?" Kyle asked.

"Twenty-one," Carol said. "You guys?"

"Twenty-three," Kyle said.

"Twenty-five," Adrien said.

"Oh!" Carol exclaimed. "So you guys should be using stones to evolve your Pokemon soon!"

"Yeah, you're right," Kyle said. His leaf stone was on the desk in his room. He'd saved it all this time, waiting for Eve to get strong enough so that he could use it. "I'm thinking of trying it once he reaches level twenty-four," he said.

"So you only need one more level, then," Adrien said.

Kyle nodded and Carol asked, "Do you have a thunderstone for Chu, Adrien?"

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I bought one at the store last week. I'm going to use it when Chu reaches level thirty."

"Alright, I wanna go battle!" Noah exclaimed suddenly.

"Okay," Carol said. "Just make sure you stay in sight and don't go running off anywhere."

"Sure! Come on, Shine!" He kicked up flecks of snow and ice as he ran towards the Pokemon battles, his Aron doing its best to keep up with its trainer.

Carol sighed. "I can't keep an eye on him all the time," she said, turning to the other two boys. "So could you guys help keep track of him? I'd really appreciate it."

"Yeah, sure, I'll try my best," Adrien said.

"Absolutely," Kyle said.

Carol nodded. "Thanks."

They kept walking around the park, observing the various battles taking place. Kyle noticed some strong opponents he would like to battle. The ones he began picking out included a Machop, a Fletchinder, and a Sneasal. They all looked pretty powerful. Kyle saw Adrien was doing the same he was as they both examined each Pokemon they saw.

"So," Carol began, "How have you guys been?"

"Fine," Kyle and Adrien both said simultaneously.

"Oh, come on!" Carol complained, smiling. "Don't give me that! Tell me something actually relevant."

The two boys exchanged glances and both gestured for the other to speak up. They waited for each other to say something.

Kyle gave in first. "Oh, alright," He said. "Yeah, I've been doing pretty well. Things have been kind of dying down for me."

None of them questioned whether "dying down" meant good or bad. They, like Kyle, all knew that it meant good.

"With your battle with Jordan, you mean?" Carol asked.

Kyle nodded. "I was popular for about a month, but soon enough people started to forget about me again," He said. "It's about time, honestly. I was getting pretty tired of people recognizing me everywhere I went."

"So what, they just don't recognize you anymore?" Carol asked.

Kyle shrugged. "I mean, every now and then someone will see me and call me out, but it's happening less and less frequently."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Adrien said. "Except it took even less time for me to begin to blend in again. People told me for about a week about how cool my moment had been, then it all just stopped. It's a relief, but I'll still occasionally come across someone who recognizes me."

"I was wondering about Jordan, too, by the way," Kyle brought up. "How's he doing?"

Adrien shrugged. "He's been to school only a couple of times this month. He's started to come outside and battle other people so he can level up his Pokemon and keep up with the rest of us. I wanted to invite him today, but his internal conflict was actually pretty bad at the moment, from what he told me yesterday." He looked up to the sky. "I feel bad for him."

Carol nodded. "But things have been going well for you, too, Adrien?" She asked.

Adrien nodded, rubbing his forearms. Kyle noticed that he did that a lot.

"Yeah," Adrien said. "Nothing's really changed for me, so things are still going good."

Kyle noticed Chu lightly slap the back of Adrien's calf with its tail, a stern look on its face. Kyle frowned. Adrien bent over to pick up the Pikachu and rubbed its head, which did not calm Chu down in the slightest.

"What'd it do that for?" Kyle asked.

"No idea," Adrien said. "I think it's just bored and wants to start battling."

"Well then," Kyle said, grinning. "How about we get started?"

Adrien smiled. "Well," he said awkwardly. "I actually wanted to battle some other people first, if that's alright with you. I don't want Chu to get tired before I can battle anyone else."

Kyle's grin faded, and he straightened. "Oh," he said, surprised. "Okay, sure."

"Sorry," Adrien said. "We'll battle later." He turned and began walking towards where Noah had gone.

_That was weird, _Kyle thought. _He seemed… really uncomfortable for a second there._

"You know what just happened, right?" He heard Carol say.

Kyle blinked. Carol was leaning for slightly, posed as if she were expecting something.

"What?" Kyle asked.

Carol sighed. "Your look of confusion tells me you don't."

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked. "Do you mean Adrien?"

"Of course!" Carol said. "He's obviously hiding something from us! You saw how his Pikachu reacted when he told us how he was doing! Chu is usually patient when it comes to waiting for a battle. It _never_ rushes Adrien."

"Are you saying that Adrien lied to us when he said he was doing well?" Kyle asked.

"I don't know," Carol said. "It's either that or he's not telling us everything. We should talk to him."

Kyle shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Carol protested. "He could be in trouble!"

"If Adrien wanted help with something, don't you think he would ask?"

"In English class, during the _incredibly _rare times he needs help, he will never ask for it," Carol said. "He likes to deal with his adversaries himself."

Kyle sighed. He was about to say that he didn't want to invade Adrien's personal life when he saw Carol's face. Her expression held determination and persistence. She wanted to help Adrien; it was important to her.

"Fine," Kyle said. "We can ask him about it if you want later."

Carol visibly relaxed. "Good." She waited a bit before asking, "Did you hear about the new trainer gym that's opening up downtown?"

"Yeah!" Kyle said. The trainer gym was advertised as a CPP funded location where trainers could easily meet and battle. The best part, in Kyle's opinion, was that it was possible to earn money there.

"You'll be able to earn money for your family," Carol said.

Kyle nodded. "For sure." Eve nodded its head as well. Kyle looked around at the various battles. "But anyway, what do you say we start battling with some of these people? Its been awhile since I've had a good match."

Carol grinned. "Sure."

"Hey!" Kyle heard someone shout in the distance. He recognized it as Noah's voice, and he seemed to be in distress.

Carol whipped around, and both of them examined the source of the outburst. Kyle saw Noah facing a teenager, a fair distance between them. Shine wasn't in sight, which was odd. Kyle didn't see why Noah would put him away, even if it had been defeated. They had brought potions, and Noah was carrying some. The teenager - he looked to be about eighteen - also had no Pokemon on the field, though he was carrying a Poke ball.

_Wait a minute,_ Kyle thought. _That's not right. _

The teenager's Poke ball was a different color than most Poke balls. Kyle couldn't be sure at this distance, but he thought the Poke ball looked _black_. Kyle tried to think about it as he and Carol approached Noah in a jog, Eve following them.

_Could he have painted it? Maybe he had it customized? _Kyle had heard of these things before. Kyle still wasn't quite sure why Noah was so upset until he said something else.

"Give me back my Pokemon!" Noah shouted as Kyle got close to him.

_What?_

The teenager suddenly turned and ran. Kyle glanced back and forth from Noah and the runner, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What happened, Noah?" Carol asked, concerned.

"He took my Pokemon!" Noah said. He looked to be on the verge of tears. He focused on Kyle. "Go! Chase him!"

Kyle had no time to question anything Noah had said, especially if what he was saying was true. He immediately began sprinting after the supposed thief, thoughts racing through his head. Eve was right behind him

_How can he do that? _He thought. _Noah doesn't seem like he'd lie about this, and that guy seems like he _really _wants to get away. But it shouldn't even be possible!_

The thief was fast despite the snow. Kyle cursed at how widely spaced the trees in the park were. If they were like the trees in Sale Woods, he would've had a severe advantage. Kyle had closed the distance between them, but the thief had begun running faster when he had noticed he was being chased. Kyle wasn't sure if he could keep up forever. He was a good runner, but not as good as this guy was. Eve was also usually pretty fast, but the snow was slowing it down a lot because of its height.

Kyle watched as a Pikachu suddenly darted past them, running towards the thief. Chu closed the gap in seconds and jumped into the air. It flipped and brought its tail down on the thief's shoulder. Unfortunately, it didn't do much. The thief cried out in pain but kept his speed as he threw Chu away, sending it tumbling through the snow.

Kyle tripped on his own feet and fell to the ground. Eve stopped to see if Kyle was alright. He groaned as he watched the thief reach the wooden fence that surrounded the park.

_Damn. _He thought. He picked himself back up and started running again, but the thief had gained even more ground. Kyle doubted he would be able to catch him.

The thief was about to vault himself over the fence when a shape came out of nowhere and socked him across the face. The thief crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain. Kyle slowed to a stop and raised his eyebrows. The figure who had just punched the thief was a Pokemon.

But not just any Pokemon. Kyle's eyes widened. Eve went on guard, as it recognized the Pokemon as well. It resembled a small monkey, and it had a burning flame at the end of its long, thin tail. It was a Monferno, classified as the playful Pokemon. It was the evolution of Chimchar. It jumped on top of the defeated thief and pounded its chest.

_That would mean…_ Kyle's eyes darted around until he found what he was looking for.

A figure in a winter coat and jeans was walking towards them. Kyle's eyes settled on him, and he took a defensive step back. He watched as his old enemy approached the four of them with his hands in his coat pockets. The figure kept his gaze from meeting Kyle's; he kept himself focused on the fallen thief.

"Hey," Kyle said.

Jordan stopped when he was a few feet from Kyle. He still wouldn't make eye contact. "Hey, Parker," He said quietly.

_He already seems so different than he used to be, _Kyle thought. _Is he really the same person as before? _He recalled what Adrien had said about a persona.

"Thanks for the help, I guess," Kyle said.

"Sure," Jordan said as Kyle walked up to the thief, who was starting to try and get up. Eve was still in a defensive stance. Jordan looked at it and took a step back. Eve kept its eyes on Jordan as it followed Kyle.

Kyle shooed Fireball away, and the Monferno stopped pounding his chest and moved away so Kyle could talk to the thief. He noticed the strange Poke ball on the ground and picked it up to examine.

It was unlike any kind of Poke ball Kyle had seen before. It was completely black, save for a dark grey _TD _on the top half of the Poke ball. Kyle tried to open it but found that he couldn't.

"Damn," Jordan said. "Were you chasing him down just to steal his Pokemon? Maybe I shouldn't have helped you, after all."

"Really?" Kyle asked. "I thought the idea of stealing other people's Pokemon interested you." Kyle found it difficult to keep the irritation out of his voice. Jordan fell silent.

Kyle pushed the thief over with his foot. He leaned down and grabbed the thief by the front of his coat. One side of his face was red from the punch. Kyle expected that it would bruise in time.

"Open it," Kyle ordered.

"No way," the thief said. Eve stepped back a bit, finally turning its focus away from Jordan, then ran up and kicked the thief's side with Double Kick. "Alright, alright!" The thief said, wincing. "Give it here."

Kyle handed the thief the Poke ball. He opened it, and an Aron was released in a flash of light. Seeing it made Kyle furious. He hadn't been sure before, but now…

"Where did you get this Poke ball?" Kyle asked.

"I'm not saying anything!" The thief said. "You guys aren't the cops!"

Shine charged at Kyle. Eve stepped up to hold it back, but it was Fireball who punched it and sent it sprawling to the side. Eve took a step back, visibly surprised at Fireball's action. Shine didn't get up.

_It must have used Mach Punch, _Kyle thought. _Steel is weak to Fighting-type moves, so I bet Shine is knocked out. But that means Fireball must be a pretty high level. _What concerned Kyle more was that Shine had tried to attack him, which meant it was loyal to the thief. The Poke ball had changed Shine's loyalty as well as its owner.

Kyle turned around at the sound of crunching snow and saw Adrien, Carol with Scarf, Noah, and Chu all running towards them. Carol stopped when she saw Jordan, but Adrien and Pikachu ran up to Kyle and Eve while Noah ran over to Shine.

"Shine!" Noah exclaimed. "Is it going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Kyle assured him. "It just got punched."

"What was that?" Adrien asked.

"I don't know, exactly," Kyle said, turning back to the thief whose coat he still held. "I've been trying to get answers. Apparently, he was able to capture Shine, even though he belonged to Noah already. Shine also changed loyalty, like when a wild Pokemon is caught. I think it has something to do with this Poke ball." He handed it to Adrien to examine.

"Uh, guys?" Carol asked. Kyle and Adrien turned toward her. "Are we just going to ignore the elephant in the room?" Everyone turned to Jordan, who shifted uncomfortably.

"We don't have time right now," Kyle said. "We have something more important to deal with. Besides, he helped us deal with our little friend here." Adrien nodded in agreement.

"So," Kyle said. "Tell us, or we're just going to keep hitting you. What is this Poke ball? Where did you get it?"

"I told you!" The thief said. "I'm not saying anything! You guys aren't cops! Besides..." He looked over Kyle's shoulder. "I don't think they like what they see."

Everyone turned around. People in the park were starting to look their way. Some had already made a few steps forward.

"If you just let me go," the thief said, "I'll just be on my way and you can keep the Pokemon. I don't think you'll want to deal with them."

Kyle grimaced. _It must look like we're trying to bully him or something._

"I'll explain things to them," Carol said. "You guys see if you can get him to start giving some answers." With that, Carol jogged over to the spectators.

Kyle turned back to the thief and raised his eyebrows. "That was solved pretty quickly. Anything else you want to try?"

The thief smirked. "I didn't think that would work anyway. Still, I can see in your eyes that you don't have the guts to keep punching me until you get what you want."

Kyle paused. The thief was right. It wasn't in Kyle's nature to do something like this. He didn't want to hurt anybody, even if he knew he had to. Commanding Eve to hit the thief had been difficult enough. Could he really interrogate this person?

Jordan rolled his eyes and stepped over to Kyle and the thief. He lightly pushed Kyle away, who let go and took a few steps away, surprised that Jordan was making a move. Jordan shoved the thief back into the snow, holding him there and kneeling beside him. He leaned in close.

"Look," Jordan said. "You have limited options, here. No, I'm not a cop. I'm worse. I'm not a ballless dick like the rest of these guys." He pointed over his shoulder where Kyle, Adrien, and Noah stood. "I'll beat you and hurt you until you finally give us what we want. Not just with my Pokemon, but with my own fists. So you better think carefully about your next words. If they're not answers, the other side of your face will bruise as well."

The thief started to get nervous. "I don't believe-"

The thief's words were cut off as Jordan raised his fist and brought it down on the thief's face. Kyle winced. Noah opened his mouth in awe. Adrien didn't move.

"Hey, man, are you sure-?" Kyle began.

"Shut it!" Jordan told Kyle, who flinched slightly. Jordan was acting way more aggressive than he had been earlier.

Jordan turned back to the thief, who was groaning in pain and holding one side of his face. "Alright, I'll try again," Jordan said. "What kind of Poke ball is this?"

"Mother-! That's it!" The thief finally took his chance and tried to get Jordan off of him. It was Jordan's turn to get punched in the face. The thief pushed Jordan off of him and stood up. He didn't get so much as three steps away before Fireball used Mach Punch on his leg. The thief fell again.

Adrien walked over to help Jordan up and see if he was alright. Jordan pushed him away and walked over to the thief, kicking him in the gut. The thief curled up and wrapped his arms around his stomach. Jordan wiped his mouth where he had been punched.

"Alright!" The thief said, holding his arm out and coughing. "I'll tell you guys! You just have to promise not to rat me out to the police!"

"Sure, alright," Adrien said. "You have a deal."

The thief nodded, satisfied, then stood up shakily. Jordan and Fireball readied themselves in case the thief decided to run again.

"Oh yeah," the thief said. He pointed at Noah. "The kid has to go."

"Why?" Kyle asked over Noah's sudden whining.

"You guys can't tell anyone else about this, or I'll be in big trouble," thief said. "That kid is going to tell everyone he knows what I'm about to tell you."

Jordan looked like he wanted to punch the thief again, but Kyle quickly said, "Sure. Noah, go find Carol."

"But I don't wanna!" Noah said.

"_Now, _Noah," Kyle insisted. "He's not going to say anything if you refuse to go."

"Oh, fine," Noah said. He walked towards where Carol had gone, holding Shine in his arms.

"It's called a Dominance ball," the thief explained. "It was manufactured by Team Dominion."

"Team Dominion?" Jordan asked. "Those guys who raided the CPP facility last night?"

"Wait, you saw that too?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah, I did," Jordan said. "Wasn't the rumor that they were after some research?"

"Yeah," the thief said, "and those rumors are correct. The research was schematics of that Poke ball in your hand." The thief pointed at Kyle. "Apparently, some CPP professor designed it."

"So what does it do?" Adrien asked. "It captures someone else's Pokemon?"

The thief nodded. "Not only that," he said, "But it also changes the Pokemon's loyalty, making it obey the orders of whoever the Dominance ball is tied to."

_That's why Shine tried to defend him, _Kyle thought.

"Okay, first of all," Kyle began, "How do we cancel its effects?"

The thief shook his head. "I don't know. Catching it with the original Poke ball wouldn't work since it's tied to mine. The only way I could think of doing it would be to either destroy or deactivate the ball, but it's pretty durable."

"Why wouldn't there be a way for you to just release your control?" Kyle asked.

"Why would that be an option?" The thief asked. "Why would Team Dominion _want _a failsafe like that?"

_He's got a point, _Kyle thought. _I certainly wouldn't want people to be able to do that if I was the leader of Team Dominion._

"Okay then," Kyle said, "How do we deactivate it?"

The thief shrugged. "Hell if I know," he said. "You guys will have to figure that part out on your own."

"If he doesn't know, there's no reason to pressure him about it, I guess," Adrien said. "We'll just have to find someone who might be able to find a way."

"Is that it?" Kyle asked.

"One more thing," the thief said. "Team Dominion has distributed these things all across the country. They all have accounts on this program they developed. So just look out for other people, I guess."

He looked around at the three people next to him. "You know," he continued, "I really hate people like you. You were incredibly lucky to actually get a Pokemon, you know. You have no idea how it feels to wake up one morning, so excited about your life changing forever when you realize it's only going to change for the worse."

Kyle sighed. "It feels like you've been abandoned," he said. You looked forward to it for years before you were let down." The thief cocked his head. "I used to be like you," Kyle said. "I wasn't given a Pokemon. I had to find it on my own. So did he, as a matter of fact." Kyle pointed at Adrien.

The thief turned to Jordan. "You, then?" He asked. "You were the lucky one?"

"Yeah," Jordan said. "I used to think that what I got was unlucky, actually. I hate myself for thinking that, now. I don't even think I deserve to have it." Fireball hugged Jordan's leg, and Jordan patted it on the head. "I hope you find what you want. Not like this, though."

The thief nodded. "I'll be off then." He hopped over the fence and began walking down the empty street, away from the park.

Kyle and Eve turned and began heading back towards where Carol stood. She was still talking to the others in the park. He heard Adrien and Chu begin to follow them, then stop. Kyle turned to see what was the matter.

Though Kyle and Adrien had begun to move, Jordan had stayed where he was. His head was turned away from them to the side.

"Are you coming?" Adrien asked.

"I think I'll head home," Jordan.

"Why?" Adrien asked. "It's alright if you stick with us. You helped us stop the thief, after all. You also helped us get the information we needed from him."

"I think you might be the only one who thinks that, Adrien," Jordan said.

Adrien turned to Kyle.

Kyle hesitated. "I don't really care if you stay or not. If you _really _want to go home, then go home, I guess. If you want to stick around, that's fine too. It's your choice." Kyle turned to keep walking. "I appreciate what you did, though."

As Kyle walked through the snow, he heard more footsteps than just Adrien's and Chu's coming from behind him.

"Sorry for snapping at you like that, by the way," Jordan said. "I had to keep up the act."

Kyle shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

The three humans and their Pokemon approached Carol and Scarf, as well as Noah. Shine was still unconscious.

Noah ran up to them when he saw them get close. "I can't put Shine back in its ball!" He said. "Did that guy tell you anything about that."

"Yeah, he did," Kyle said. "But it might be a while before we can fix it."

Carol finished her conversation with the man she had been talking to. "I explained the situation," she said. "We should be fine. They understood. Though I almost lost control of them when Jordan started punching the guy."

Jordan looked away and scratched his head. Fireball snickered.

"So, what next?" Carol asked. "Did you figure out what that was?" She pointed to the Dominance ball in Kyle's hand.

"We did," Kyle said. "Apparently, it takes control of another person's Pokemon."

Carol's eyes widened. "But that shouldn't be possible, should it? Did he make it?"

"I'll tell you later," Kyle said, eyeing Noah, who was listening intently.

"Alright then, what do we do now?" Carol asked.

"I should heal it first, shouldn't I?" Noah said, taking out a potion.

"No, not yet," Kyle said, holding up his free hand. "I'm afraid it won't recognize you until we've fixed what happened. It'll probably attack you as soon as it wakes up. We need to deactivate the ball first."

Noah frowned. He looked like he was about to cry. Kyle couldn't blame him.

"Hey, don't worry," Kyle said encouragingly. "Here, you can put it away for now, if you want." He held the Dominion ball out for Noah to take. Noah grabbed it and tapped it on Shine's steel-plated head. The Pokemon disappeared inside the Dominance ball in a flash of light. Noah shrunk the ball and put it in his pocket.

"Is it smart to let him carry it?" Jordan asked. "He might lose it."

"His life is literally _stapled_ to his Aron's," Carol said. "He'd lose a thousand-dollar bill before he loses that ball."

"Alright," Kyle said. "Who knows a guy with really good engineering and/or programming skills who could deactivate this Poke ball for us?"

Adrien turned to face Jordan, who raised his eyebrows at him for a moment. Then, a look of realization spread across his face.

"No," Jordan said. "No way."

"Come on," Adrien said. "He's the only one we know who can probably do it. You know that."

"I don't care," Jordan said. "I haven't talked to him in over a month. He probably hates me, just like everyone else I used to be friends with."

"Wait, who are we talking about?" Carol asked.

Adrien turned to Kyle. "You've met him," he told him. "One of the ones from the woods that day. He's the one who owns a Marill."


	13. Dominance Ball

**Dominance Ball**

* * *

_My offspring are being stolen from their rightful owners._

_It is difficult to bear._

_I believe there is a way I can lend my assisstance to those who fight back._

_I will be able to remain here, while those of my choosing can use my power._

_I know what I can do._

* * *

Kyle, Carol, Adrien, Jordan, and Noah all walked up to a small house on a quiet street not a long walk from the park they had left a few minutes ago. Their Pokemon had all been returned to their balls, save for Shine, who was still inside the Dominance ball. Adrien led the group to the front door; they had decided that he should be the one to do the talking, much to his dislike. However, it made the most sense. Adrien was the only one who knew Jordan's ex-friend and was not on bad terms with him at the same time.

Was ex-friend the right word? It had seemed to Kyle that he hadn't been Jordan's friend at all, just someone who followed him around like a lackey.

The group gathered on the front porch and Adrien knocked on the door. It soon opened, revealing the sagged face of a middle-aged man. Kyle assumed he was the father. Kyle could tell he was not at all pleased with the number of people on his welcome mat, as his face had scrunched when he saw them.

"What do you kids want?" The man grumbled.

Nobody said a word for a moment. Kyle bumped his arm against Adrien's, who jumped before realizing he was supposed to be speaking.

"Oh. H-hello," Adrien paused to clear his throat. "Hey. We're looking for Marcus. Is he home right now?"

_Marcus, _Kyle noted to himself. Jordan had told Kyle the guy's name earlier, but he had already forgotten it. He really needed to work on remembering names the first time he heard them.

Marcus's father's face scrunched up even more. "Marcus? Who are you people? Friends of his?"

"Yeah," Adrien said. "We need to talk to him."

"Eh," the man said. "Why don't you guys just text him or something?"

Adrien began rubbing his wrists. Kyle was beginning to realize that maybe he didn't do that because he was cold. Maybe Carol had been right, after all. Either way, he had to help out in some way so they could get into the house. This was not how they had envisioned the conversation going.

"We _did _text him," Kyle lied. "We let him know we were coming over. We need him to do something for us, and he can only do it here."

Marcus's father looked at Kyle like he was just now noticing his existence. "Is that right?" He asked. "Well I'm sorry to say, but I can't just let you invade my house. There are way too many of-"

"Eric?" A woman's voice called from inside the house. "Who's at the door? It's taking a long time to get them to go away."

Kyle heard Carol sigh.

Marcus's father-Kyle assumed he was the 'Eric' the woman had called-turned his head around but kept his body mostly facing Kyle's group. "They say they're friends of Marcus's!" He said.

There was a brief silence before Kyle heard someone running towards the door. Eric was practically shoved out of the way, making room in the doorway for a woman that looked like she would be Eric's wife and Marcus's mother. Her face was lit with joy. It made Kyle very uncomfortable, and he could tell it had the same effect on Adrien by the way he began to shrink back.

"Friends of Marcus!" She exclaimed. "Come in! Please! Come in! I'm so happy that you all came to see him!" She moved out of the doorway to make room for all of them.

Adrien turned around to look at the others. Kyle shrugged and Carol ushered Adrien inside. Jordan didn't look happy entering the house; it looked almost as if he had wished they'd be turned down.

Eric scowled as the five kids walked through the door. "Liz, we can't just-"

"Hold your tongue, Eric!" The woman snapped. "This is one of the few times Marcus's friends have come over. I never get to see what that boy's up to!"

Eric groaned, but it seemed like the battle was over. That was a relief.

"Goodness, I never would've expected there to be so many people he hangs out with!" Liz remarked. "He doesn't talk too much about you, see. He doesn't talk to us much at all, in fact." She looked over all of them, then frowned suddenly. "I didn't know he was spending his time with someone so young, though."

Kyle followed the woman's gaze and found Noah, still clutching the Dominance ball in his hand. He was shrinking down a little. Carol had said he didn't like these kinds of environments, but Noah had been determined to stay with them until he had Shine back.

"He's a lot older than he looks," Carol said quickly.

"Oh, really?" Liz asked, not suspiciously but with curiosity and surprise. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Noah said immediately.

Kyle tried to prevent himself from displaying any reaction at Noah's word. _Really? _He thought. _You couldn't have _possibly _picked a younger age? Not even any of the rest of us are that old!_

Luck must have been greatly allied with them, as Liz didn't make any further comment beside an "oh, I'm sorry I misjudged your age." Kyle couldn't believe it.

"Anyway," Adrien said. "We need to go talk to Marcus. Do you know where he is?"

"Hm?" Liz said, finally remembering why they had said they were there in the first place. "Oh! Yes, yes, go ahead. He's in his room. It's down that hall, second door on the right. I'll make some food for you." With that, she headed off to the kitchen.

The group walked down the hall and approached the indicated door. It was closed, and a sign that said KEEP OUT was posted on it.

"You know," Kyle commented, "This is probably the most stereotypical household with a teenager that I've ever been in."

"I mean, you're right," Jordan said. "But here's the thing. You also don't seem like the kind of guy who goes into a lot of houses other than his own."

Kyle paused. "Okay, sure. But it's still pretty stereotypical."

"Can we just get Shine fixed, please?" Noah asked politely but also insistently.

"Right, right," Kyle said. He turned to the others. "Should we knock?"

"Nah," Jordan said. "He'll just tell you to go away."

Kyle gestured for Adrien to proceed, and he sighed. He had probably been hoping that his assigned role had been forgotten by everyone else. Adrien grabbed the doorknob, twisted it, and pushed the door open in one smooth motion.

They filed into the messy room of Jordan's former friend. 'Messy,' was the word Kyle would have liked to use, but it was a bit of an understatement. Dirty clothes were strewn across the floor and the room could really have used some air freshener. The bed wasn't made and potato chip bags and other items relating to food helped the clothes cover the floor. There was a desk in the room was next to the bed, against the wall. This is where Marcus was sitting in a leather swivel chair. There were three different monitors displaying three different video games and a PC on the desktop.

Marcus was currently focused on playing a game on one of the monitors. He wore a pair of large headphones and was leaned forward, face very close to the screen. Adrien went forward and tapped on Marcus's shoulder to get his attention, making him jump. He ripped off the headset he wore and widened his eyes when he saw the number of people in his now very occupied room. Kyle hadn't been sure when he had looked more surprised: when he had seen Jordan in his room, or when he had seen Carol, a girl, in his room.

"What the-" Marcus said, face turning red. "What the hell?! What are you doing here? Wha-" He traced his finger from Kyle to Jordan, mouth open in disbelief.

"Hey," Adrien said. "Sorry for coming without telling you. We didn't think you'd want us here right now."

"Yeah, no shit!" Marcus said. "It's a Saturday! Today's meant for nothing but playing video games all day in my room!"

"Well, if you help us out, you can get right back to it," Kyle said.

"Help?" Marcus asked. "You guys need help with something?"

"Yeah," Adrien said.

"Don't tell me that's why you brought him," Marcus said, pointing at Jordan. "I'm not going to do anything if it's for him."

"No, it's not for him," Adrien said. "It's for _him._" He pointed behind him where an uncomfortable Noah stood with the Dominance ball in his hand.

Marcus tilted his head, confused. "Okay? What does he need?"

Carol urged Noah forward. Kyle and Adrien stepped aside so he could approach Marcus. Noah walked up to the boy with uncertainty. He stopped when he was a foot from Marcus's seat, and Marcus raised his eyebrows expectantly. After a moment, Noah reluctantly handed over the Dominance ball.

"What's this?" Marcus asked. "A Poke ball? I've never seen one like this before."

"Apparently," Adrien said, "It's called a Dominance ball."

"Is that it?" Marcus asked.

Adrien was about to continue before Carol cut in. "No," she said. We don't know how, but it can capture another trainer's Pokemon."

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "Wait. You mean you can _steal _Pokemon with this?" Marcus asked. He glared at Jordan. "Now I get it. That guy tried to steal your Pokemon, I take it? He never was satisfied with what he got."

Kyle felt Jordan tense next to him. Kyle sighed. "No," he said. "He didn't. Some other kid a few years older than us did. If it weren't for Jordan, the piece of trash actually would've gotten away with it."

Marcus didn't exactly look convinced, but he dropped it anyway. "So," he said, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"You're good with engineering and programming, right?" Adrien asked. "I saw you do some cool stuff while we were hanging out."

"I mean, yeah," Marcus said. Then realization dawned on his face. "I see. You want me to try and deactivate the ball so you can free the Pokemon that was stolen."

"Exactly," Adrien said. "Can you do it?"

Marcus opened his mouth slightly, preparing to say something else. Kyle was ready. He put his hand in his pocket where his wallet was. They had all predicted that this service wouldn't be for free; they were sure that Marcus would demand a price.

However, Marcus looked at all of their faces, especially Carol's and Noah's hopeful ones, then sighed and closed his mouth. He turned his chair around and pulled something from a drawer in his desk. It looked to Kyle like some kind of weird device with one long wire and a suction cup attached to what looked like a hard drive with a USB port.

"Don't ask me how I got this," Marcus said, "Cause it sure as hell wasn't through legal means."

Kyle frowned slightly. _He's not asking for money. _Kyle then remembered how Marcus had been the one who had tried to put out the fires Jordan had started in the woods. Maybe he _did_ have an honorable personality, though Kyle never would've seen it coming.

"What is that?" Carol asked.

"I don't have an actual name for it," Marcus said. "I found schematics for it one time when I was-" he paused for a moment. "When I was doing some digging into CPP files."

"You mean you hacked in?" Kyle asked.

"I mean," Marcus thought for a second. "Yeah. That's exactly what I did."

"That's illegal, isn't it?" Noah asked.

"Yes, it is," Marcus said before anyone else could say anything. "But right now, it's going to save you and your Pokemon's asses."

Carol did not look pleased with the amount of cursing Marcus was doing in front of Noah. She couldn't afford to complain about it, though. He _was_, after all, helping them, and without a cost at that.

"Anyway," Marcus said, attaching the suction cup of the device to the button on the Dominance ball, "It can be used to deregister Pokemon from their Poke balls. The device is sort of half of what the CPP is planning on making. They're trying to design a device that allows Pokemon to be traded among trainers."

"Really?" Kyle said. "I didn't think a lot of people wanted to trade their Pokemon. It kind of takes away from the experience of raising your own."

"Well, a lot of people will finally be getting Pokemon when they become more available," Marcus said. "Those new trainers might want to trade once they receive their Pokemon. Just as an example, some people might want a Spinarak rather than a Phantump and vice versa, or something like that."

"So what?" Jordan asked. "This device just makes it so that the Pokemon becomes wild?"

"Right," Marcus said. He seemed a little annoyed that Jordan was speaking.

"Hopefully, it will just default back to Noah's Poke ball," Carol said.

"Maybe," Marcus said plugging the USB into his computer. "Do you know if his Poke ball is still registered to his Pokemon?"

"We don't know," Kyle said.

"Well, once I connect this ball to my computer with the device, we should be able to see how it works," Marcus said. He launched a program on his computer. Everyone watched closely. A loading screen came up for a moment until the progress bar was full. A new page came up on the monitor with different options.

"Okay, here we go," Marcus said. He clicked the 'properties' option. He spent a few moments looking over the coding that had come up when he had clicked the option. Kyle couldn't understand what was on the screen, so he had to wait for Marcus to finish examining it.

"That's crazy," Marcus said after a moment.

"What's crazy?" Noah asked. "I can't understand any of that."

"You were definitely right," Marcus said. "This Poke ball here is designed to capture a registered Pokemon. It has a program inside of it that allows it to cancel all registrations previously assigned to it. In other words, this kid's Pokemon is no longer registered to his Poke ball."

"How is that even possible?" Carol asked. "Can you see?"

Marcus read a bit more of the coding. "You all know how a Poke ball works, right?" He asked.

"Sure," Kyle said. "It detects the very specific essence of a Pokemon when it hits the exterior of the ball with enough force. It then shrinks this essence so that the Pokemon can fit inside the ball, and the registration process begins. The ball has tech inside that adds a certain code to their very DNA once captured. This code belongs to the trainer that captured it, which makes the Pokemon loyal to the trainer. When a different ball is thrown at a registered Pokemon, the ball reads this code and simply bounces off."

"Right," Marcus said. "But with this 'Dominance' ball, as you called it, it's a different case. It completely ignores the code placed on a registered Pokemon and captures it anyway. It then uses tech that _harms _the Pokemon so that it's too weak to resist. It completely erases any registration codes placed on it and creates its own. The Pokemon will then become loyal to whoever the code is registered to, just like a regular Poke ball."

"That's insane," Adrien said.

"Yeah," Marcus said. "Fortunately, all we need to do is get rid of the code in your Pokemon's system and everything will be fixed." Marcus tapped a few keys and another progress bar came up. This one took a few minutes to finish filling. Noah looked anxious the entire time the bar was moving.

_Poor kid,_ Kyle thought. _I'd hate it if this kind off thing ever happened to Eve._

Finally, it was done. Marcus closed the program and detached the device from the Dominance ball. Almost immediately, the ball opened and Shine sprung from its depths in a flash of light. Marcus yelped and retreated. Everyone else moved as close as they could to the walls of the room. They didn't have to move very much.

_He said it's not registered to Noah's Poke ball anymore! _Kyle thought, pressing his back against the wall. _Which means its wild. That's not good for us. It'll probably want to try and escape._

Noah stayed in the middle and stared Shine down, cautious but unyielding. After a few brief moments, Shine leaped through the air, heading straight for Noah's chest. Kyle thought it was trying to use Headbutt on Noah, but instead, Noah simply caught the Aron in his arms, laughing. Shine looked happy, too.

"Wait, what?" Jordan asked as Noah held Shine joyfully against his chest. "Isn't it supposed to be wild?"

Kyle thought for a moment as everyone began to relax. It seemed Adrien was doing the same. Both realized what had happened at the same time and the two friends exchanged glances.

"It's still wild," Adrien said.

Kyle nodded. "They just had such a strong bond that Shine's still attached to him."

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? I guess the Pokemon still retains its memory after having multiple codes placed on it."

"Still," Jordan said as Noah captured Shine in his Poke ball, making it his again. "That kinda worries me. They have such a strong bond, and yet the Dominance ball was able to make the Aron attack its former trainer."

Everyone fell silent. Kyle imagined Eve, with all their experiences, turning on him like that. "You're right," he said. "That _is_ something to worry about."

"Alright, well," Marcus said. "If you'd all excuse me, I have other things to attend to." He turned back to his computer and re-opened his video game.

"That's it?" Carol asked. "You don't want anything for helping us?"

Marcus turned back around and examined Carol's face. He looked at Noah, who was still smiling to himself. Marcus smirked. "Nah, you don't have to give me anything."

Carol raised her eyebrows. "You know, I never expected you to be this nice, based on everything else I've heard and seen."

Jordan chuckled. "It's because you're a girl and Noah's a kid," he said. "But mostly because you're a girl."

"Shut up!" Marcus snapped as everyone laughed a little. "Alright," Marcus said. "I changed my mind. Jordan has to give me a dollar for this."

Jordan snorted. Everyone turned to look at him. Jordan looked around, surprised that everyone was expecting him to actually pay. He turned to Kyle, who just shrugged. Jordan sighed and took out his wallet. He took two bills and handed them to Marcus.

"Hey, you gave me two," Marcus said. "You stupid?"

"The first was for your service," Jordan said. "The second was for sticking around with such a dick."

Marcus grinned. "That won't quite give you your redemption." He went back to his game. "It's a start though," he added. Marcus picked up the Dominance ball on the desk. "Who wants it? I don't want this thing in my room. Too much damned contraband in here already."

"I'll take it," Kyle said. Marcus tossed him the ball. Kyle caught it and put it in his pocket next to Eve's Poke ball.

The group said their goodbyes to Marcus and his parents. They were all able to have a bit of food Marcus's mother had made before departing. It had actually been pretty good. Kyle was munching on a cheese bread as the group walked into the street.

It was still light out, though it had been darker than it had been while they were in the park. Kyle looked up to the gray sky, thinking.

_I didn't get any battles in today, _he thought. _There might still be some people left for me to go up against._

"I'm going to head back to the park," Kyle told his friends. "I want to get in a few fights before the day's over."

"I'm taking Noah home," Carol said. "After all of this, I'm done for the day. We can meet up tomorrow."

Kyle nodded, and Noah didn't look like he wanted to complain.

"I'll go with you," Adrien said. "I only got one battle in. We can go against each other if you want."

There was still someone who hadn't said anything. Jordan was looking at the space in the middle of the group.

"You want to come along, Jordan?" Adrien asked.

Jordan looked up with a surprised expression at being invited. He glanced at Kyle. "I mean, do you guys-" Jordan stopped mid-sentence. Kyle could barely notice it, but he saw that Jordan winced slightly as he cut himself off. He then said, "I think I'll head home, actually," he said. Kyle raised his eyebrows. He had been a little forceful when he said that. It reminded him of his image of Jordan before today.

"I'll see you guys," Jordan said before walking in the direction they had come from.

"Jordan," Kyle said after some distance had been placed between them, "Hold up." Kyle jogged over to his former enemy.

"Yeah?" Jordan asked. "What do you want?"

Kyle grimaced. Did his tone just switch like that all the time? He thought back to what Adrien had said, how Jordan apparently had multiple persona's. Was he talking to the one he was familiar with? The one who tried to take Eve away from him?

"I-" Kyle stopped. _Am I really about to do this? _He thought. _Damn! Why does it have to feel so humiliating? _"I just… wanted to say thanks," he said. "For what you did today. You really helped us out. All I did was trip in the snow. You were able to catch that guy, _and _get him to talk, _and_ get us a way to return Shine to normal."

Jordan stiffened. "Sure, whatever," he said. He continued to walk away, but Kyle thought he saw the edge of a smile on his face as he did so.

He confirmed that it was a smile when the corner of his mouth crawled up his face even more after Noah called out, "Thanks for helping Shine!"

When Jordan was out of view, the rest of the group continued walking until they had to split. Carol and Noah went one way, and Kyle and Adrien went another. They each waved their goodbyes to each other. Kyle and Adrien kept on to the park in quiet.

Kyle thought about his deal with Carol. _Now might actually be a good time to ask what's going on with him, _Kyle thought as he glanced at Adrien walking beside him. He opened his mouth to ask.

"I wonder how many other people have Dominance balls," Kyle said. _What? Why didn't I ask about how he's doing?_

"Yeah, you're right," Adrien said. "I'm guessing a lot, but no more in our area. That guy was probably the only one around here who got it. He said that they were distributed to people everywhere in the country. I'm not sure how many of those things Team Dominion was able to make, but I'm guessing they'll be continuing to make and distribute them over the next few weeks. Maybe even the next few months." He looked at Kyle's jeans pocket. "You might want to get rid of that, by the way," he said.

"I have an idea on how to do that, actually," Kyle said. He realized that he couldn't ask about Adrien. It was too hard for him. "This one CPP professor and I have been in touch ever since I named Eve's special move."

"That's right," Adrien said. "Judgement. Are you going to tell him about the Dominance ball?"

"Yeah," Kyle said. "Hopefully, he'll give me an address I can send it to. Then they can come up with something that helps the future victims of this thing."

"The research thing, though?" Adrien asked. "It's going well?"

Kyle nodded. He had been ecstatic when the CPP had told him that he would be paid if he provided any valuable research information. He had already been given a fair sum of money for discovering Judgement, which his family had been extremely happy about. However, besides being able to use Judgement, Eve had so far proven to be like any other Eevee. Kyle still sent in weekly reports on Eve's development and he would send an extra message if the Eevee showed any new signs of largely deviating from other Pokemon.

"They let me make the description of Judgement, too," Kyle said. "You can find the move in the CPP database, though I'm the only known trainer with a Pokemon that knows it."

"No one else has shown up?" Adrien asked.

Kyle shook his head. "It's making the CPP think I really _am _the only one, especially since I found Eve where the second Arceus had struck. I can tell they really want to bring Eve in for research, but they understand that it belongs to me. It's fine, though. They seem satisfied that I can study it while training and raising it. It's probably the best way to research it, in my opinion."

Adrien nodded. The two were coming up on the park they had left a few hours ago. There were still a few trainers battling there, which relieved Kyle. He had been hoping the Pokemon wouldn't be too beat up by the time they got there.

"Alright, you want your rematch?" Adrien asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm totally going to kick your ass this time."

* * *

Many hours after the victor of Kyle and Adrien's battle had been decided, a phenomenon was occurring many miles away. It was an isolated location, a forest, one where no human was in sight for miles. It was here that had been decided to be the place where the third Acreus would fall.

There were many birds and bird Pokemon in this area; they were all perched on the trees of the area. A wild Talonflame watched from above the forest, flapping its large red wings. It was the most powerful Pokemon in the area, and the others would fear for their lives when it went on the hunt. The scorching Pokemon caught sight of the prey it was looking for and swooped down to grab it in its talons. It caught a normal bird and headed to a branch to feast on its meal.

A hole appeared in the sky. It appeared to be made entirely of white light. This whiteness spilled down from the hole onto the forest. Many birds and other Pokemon began to fly away, but not Talonflame. It wanted to finish its meal, and it wouldn't let a little light give it pause.

The light washed over it, and suddenly Talonflame felt a sense of duty. It command had popped into its head, and it was more than willing to comply. It let its food drop to the ground below. Talonflame removed itself from its perch to fly towards the power it sensed that had descended from the sky.

_I have something for you to do, _said a voice in Talonflame's head. _I need you to take these to him. _A picture suddenly appeared in Talonflame's head, along with a location.

As Talonflame approached the power it felt, it saw an item on the ground. It looked to Talonflame like some kind of package made of leaves. Without hesitation, it grabbed the package with its talons and flew off where the feeling in its head directed.

_You must make haste, _the voice said as Talonflame was about to fly outside of the light. _They need to stop them as soon as possible. _

Talonflame used Tailwind to give itself more speed as it burst free of the Arceus. It flapped its wings as hard and fast as it could as it streaked through the air like a shooting star. Based on how far away its destination was, it would be a few days before it arrived.

* * *

Kyle turned over in his bed late at night. He thought about Noah's Aron almost being stolen and the CPP facility robberies and raids. He thought about Team Dominion.

_I wish I could do more about it, _he thought regretfully.


	14. Justice Demands Infiltration

**Justice Demands Infiltration**

* * *

_It seems that he has been possessed by a sense of justice._

_Perhaps I unknowingly was the cause of this._

_However, I can see that it could not be called a mistake._

* * *

_Sunday, 10:43 AM_

_000493: Hello Professor. I've come across a certain item that I believe would concern you and the rest of the CPP. Get back to me as soon as you can. I think you'll want to know what it is._

* * *

_Tuesday, 3:52 PM_

_Pine: Hello Mr. Parker. I am sorry that I have not been able to return your message for a few days. This Team Dominion incident has us working ourselves to death. What is it you would like to tell me about?_

* * *

_4:05_

_000453: Here, take a look._

* * *

_4:06_

_Pine: Is that what I think it is?_

* * *

_4:08_

_000493: Yeah. I believe it's the reason you guys are working so hard right now. It's been distributed to people in every state and the number of owners is only increasing._

* * *

_4:11_

_Pine: Thank goodness! We haven't been able to get ahold of any so far. I'm sure we would all greatly appreciate it if you sent it to us so we could study it and learn how it works._

* * *

_4:14_

_000493: That was the plan, but you won't need to do much research. I've already investigated it with a few friends of mine. Here, I put all the information I gathered into another file so I wouldn't have to spend the time typing it out._

* * *

_4:21_

_Pine: Wow. How did you get this information? Another thing I wanted to know was how you got ahold of this "Dominance ball" as you called it in the first place?_

* * *

_4:24_

_000493: Someone tried to steal a Pokemon from a friend of mine, and the rest of us chased him down. He agreed to give us information if we let him go. We went to another friend where we were able to deactivate it and learn the rest of the information on the document._

* * *

_4:25_

_Pine: I assume you have no idea where the thief went?_

* * *

_4:26_

_000493: No, I don't. I'm sorry to say this, but even if I did, I wouldn't give him to you. I made a promise that his information would redeem his choice. Besides, if he ever tries to steal any more Pokemon, I'll just report him._

* * *

_4:30_

_Pine: This could give you trouble, letting him go like that. However, I myself believe you made a good trade, so we can keep that between us. Now, you also said you were able to deactivate it in one of your messages. Your document said that a certain device can be used to do this. What is this device?_

* * *

_4:34_

_000493: It's a device that can be found in the CPP's private database. It's what you have so far on trading Pokemon between trainers. My friend was able to get ahold of the schematics and build one. He was able to find all of this information for us and deactivate the ball with it._

* * *

_4:45_

_Pine: So, allow me to clarify. You, along with this friend of yours, used a device that had been illegally obtained from our private database, a device originally designed for something we haven't even announced yet, to do all of this?_

* * *

_4:46_

_00493: That's correct._

* * *

_4:50 _

_Pine: Normally, the consequences for this would be severe, but I suppose we can let it slide if it did more good than bad. I would ask who this friend of yours is, but I doubt you would tell me. I won't dig any further into this. Just make sure nothing bad happens because if it._

* * *

_4:53_

_000493: Will do. I appreciate it._

* * *

_4:55_

_Pine: Good. Now then, I thank you once more for supplying us with this information. I'll be sure to show it to my superiors. This will greatly aid us in the fight against Team Dominion. It is likely that we'll be sending you a sum of money for being able to accomplish all of this._

* * *

_4:56_

_000493: Thank you very much. However, there is one more thing I would like to discuss. Is it in any way possible for me to help even more?_

* * *

_4:57_

_Pine: What do you mean?_

* * *

_4:59_

_000493: After seeing what these Dominance balls can do up close, it makes me want to do everything I can to bring down this organization. I wanted to know if there was anything major I could do to help out, if you know what I mean._

* * *

_5:02_

_Pine: I am sorry, Mr. Parker, but we can't afford to involve civilians in this matter. You do not have the authority to participate. Besides, the Pokemon that even the mid-ranking members are said to own are much higher in level than your average trainer's Pokemon. The most you can do is keep an eye out for anyone else with a Dominance ball and report them. Have a good afternoon._

* * *

_5:03_

_000493: Ok. You too._

* * *

Kyle sighed and leaned back in his chair, putting his phone on the desk in his room. Eve tilted its head from where it laid on Kyle's desktop. It could tell that while Kyle had been able to give the information he wanted to provide, he hadn't been able to do what he really wanted.

Ever since that Saturday when Noah's Aron had been stolen, Kyle had wanted to find and condemn anyone with A Dominance ball or anyone associated with Team Dominion. He understood that they all wanted Pokemon, but this wasn't the way. Something had to be done, and he wanted to be the one to inflict his own judgment. He had talked to Eve about it, too, and it was all for it. But, there wasn't really anything they could do.

Except, maybe there was. Kyle picked up his phone again and opened an app on his phone. The app hadn't been on his phone's store; he had found a download link online on the Team Dominion webpage. The app would never have been allowed in the store.

Kyle had gone through great lengths to become registered in the Team Dominion database. He had found when he downloaded the app that he would need a trainer account to register. Kyle definitely hadn't wanted to use his own, so he had created a fake one. The task had not been easy. He had needed to make a fake name, a fake email, and input a different address, among other things. Kyle had used the address of an empty house on his own street. He had been fortunate in that regard. He would need to explain the situation to Mr. Roberts, however.

Kyle had since been a part of Team Dominion, though not really. He planned to use his account to attempt to infiltrate their ranks, and hopefully be able to destroy them inside. It was a longshot, especially since he didn't know what he would do, exactly. He would have to figure that part out later. For now, he needed to focus on increasing his ranking.

There were multiple ways to increase your Team Dominion ranking, which was based on a system of points. One way was to be involved for a long time, which had been the main method until very recently. The more time one spent registered, the more points they received.

Those who had been there the longest had been the ones who had received Dominance balls. Kyle knew this because the ones in the highest rankings had usernames rather than trainer numbers like everyone else. Notices in the app had told Kyle that only once you obtained a Pokemon were you allowed to make your own username. Since being without a Pokemon was a requirement to be registered there, Kyle had figured out that the veterans were given Dominance balls first that allowed them to capture their own Pokemon and create usernames.

Kyle wouldn't be able to increase his standings using the first method. It would take way too long. There were, however, other ways to gather points. One example, which was now the most reliable and widely used method Kyle had seen others on the app gaining points with, was completing assignments.

Members were assigned missions if a situation arose in their area. The most common situation, so far as Kyle had seen, was people trying to stop those who used Dominance balls. In fact, Kyle was actually famous to members in his area, of which there were six besides himself.

When Kyle had registered, the app had grouped him with other accounts that were in a few miles radius around the address he had inputted. He was in a chat with the six other members in his area, One of them was the thief Kyle had met.

Immediately when Kyle was thrown into the chat by the app programming, an alert appeared. Kyle knew it had to have been sent by the thief. It read:

_Watch out!_

_I ran into a group of trainers in Redvale Park. I was about to get away with stealing a Pokemon before they came and attacked me. They took my Dominance ball, and they must have found a way to deactivate it because I found that the Pokemon I stole had been deregistered. Keep an eye out for them. I have descriptions._

Following this were descriptions of Kyle, Carol, Adrien, Jordan, and Noah as well, along with the Pokemon each of them owned.

Kyle was a little upset that the thief had come back to Team Dominion after what had happened, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Besides, Kyle found out that the thief's account had lost a lot of points somehow, which made him feel a little better. The thief had been given a Dominance ball, which meant he must've had a lot of points, but when Kyle had joined he had next to no points. Kyle deduced that one lost points if they lost their Dominance ball or did something else that negatively affected Team Dominion. Team Dominion must have realized that when they saw that the Dominance ball had been deactivated.

The descriptions worried Kyle slightly. He was afraid his friends might be targeted somehow by the other five members in the area. He didn't think these people would actually hunt them down to hurt them, but it was possible they could use their Dominance balls to steal their Pokemon. However, they still had room to breathe. None of the five had received Dominance balls yet.

There was another part of Kyle that was encouraged by the alert. It meant he had an opportunity to get points. Below the alert was text saying that stealing a Pokemon from Kyle or one of his friends would count as completing an assignment, earning him points. Kyle's plan was to steal from himself.

Kyle would have to give up the Dominance ball he had to the CPP, especially since there was no way he could register it to himself. He would wait long enough so he could receive a Dominance ball, then use it to capture Eve. That would provide proof that he had "incapacitated" himself. However, Team Dominion wouldn't know he was the same person.

As to how to continue to get points, Kyle hadn't come across any more idea. He would think about it later. For now, he simply needed to avoid having his Pokemon stolen long enough until he received a Dominance ball.

Someone was messaging the chat. Kyle straightened and focused his eyes as he read. It was a question from a member Kyle assumed was addressed toward the thief. Their ID was 003278.

_Do you know what school they go to? _It read.

Kyle grimaced. _So, someone already wants to do something about us, _he thought. _The guy can't have a Dominance ball yet, though, right? _Kyle tapped on the member's trainer number and opened their profile. From there he could see the member's status. Kyle's eyes widened when he saw that the member was very high on the waiting list for a Dominance ball. They would most likely be getting one in a matter of days. _So soon! _He thought. _Damn! I'd hoped to get closer to the top of the waiting list before someone else around here got one!_

Kyle was notified of another message in the area chat. He returned to it. It was an answer to the other's question, not from the thief, but from someone else. This next message concerned him even more than the last. It was from a trainer with the ID 002876

_Now that I'm thinking about it, _the message said, _There can't be too many people around here with the same Pokemon right? I remember seeing a while ago a battle that took place inside Whiteplate High School. I'm pretty sure those two guys also had an Eevee and a Chimchar._

_Hey, you're right! _ID 003278 sent. _It'll be really easy to pick them out by looking at that video. Thanks a lot!_

_I've seen that video, too, _someone else sent. Their ID was 005184. This was the first time Kyle had seen more than two people conversing in this chat at once. Seeing as to how they were trying to identify him so they could steal from him, it was not a good experience. _I also noticed in it a girl with a Dratini and another guy with a Pichu. They'll both match their respective descriptions, I'm sure. That last kid has to be one of their siblings or something; there's no way they'd have a friend that young. That covers all of them._

_Well then, so much for avoiding trouble, _Kyle thought. He hadn't thought about the video from last month. _I have to tell everyone about this. _He closed out the Team Dominion app and opened his messages. He sent a message intended for Carol and Adrien. He didn't have Jordan's phone number, so he couldn't put him in the chat.

_Guys, we have an issue, _Kyle texted to his friends' chat. _I've discovered that there are a few people around town who are with Team Dominion. Apparently, they found out about what we did and they know who all of us are, what we look like, and what Pokemon we have._

Carol texted back a few moments later. _What? How? Do they know about Noah, too?_

_They do, _Kyle texted. _I'll tell you how later. Right now, we need to worry about ourselves. Adrien, can you tell Jordan about what's going on when you see this?_

_What do you mean? _Carol texted. _What could they do to us? It's not like they'd jump us or anything, right?_

_No, I don't think we have to worry about anything like that, _Kyle texted. _Mainly just having our Pokemon stolen. _

_Do you know how many are after us? _Carol asked.

Kyle paused. Did he want to be exact? It would sound weird that he knew such specifics, and he wasn't sure he wanted to let them in on what he was doing yet. _Probably around five or so, _Kyle texted. _There shouldn't be too many in our area who are members of Team Dominion._

_That's not too bad, _Carol texted.

Adrien sent a message suddenly. _Alright, I'm adding Jordan to the conversation._

Soon, Kyle received a notification that someone else had joined their chat. He created a contact in his phone before explaining the situation once again.

_What? _Jordan texted about a minute after Kyle had re-sent what was happening. _How do they know who we are? How could they find us?_

_I asked the same thing, _Carol said. _He said he'd tell us later and that we should focus on keeping our Pokemon by our sides._

_Well, right now, I don't see any danger, so I'd just like to know, _Jordan texted.

Kyle clenched his fist. He didn't want to reveal anything just yet. He couldn't quite explain why, but there was an instinct in the back of his mind that told him to keep his source a secret. But, it seemed like he would have to say _something _to satisfy his friends. He would have to think of a lie, for now.

_Marcus let me know, _Kyle started typing into his phone. _I saw him at school today. He told me he hacked into their online webpage- _Kyle stopped typing for a moment.

_That's it, _he realized. He had thought of a way to earn points. He would have to set a few things up later, but he knew what to do now. Kyle finished typing his message.

_He told me he hacked into their webpage, _Kyle texted. _Apparently, there are some people here who found out about us and want to steal our Pokemon. _It wasn't the best of bluffs, but Kyle hadn't had too much time to think. Still, it would accomplish what it was intended to.

_Wow, I guess we'll all have to thank Marcus again, _Carol texted. This response told Kyle that his lie had worked.

_This isn't too worrisome, though, if you think about it, _Adrien said. _I was thinking about it last night. If that guy got away with Noah's Aron, it wouldn't have taken too much to find him. He wouldn't be able to use it without being seen by someone else. It's a small town. I doubt there's a lot of people with an Aron. _

_You're right, _Kyle said. _I just thought it'd be helpful for you guys to know. I certainly wouldn't want to go through all that trouble to get my Pokemon back._

_Yeah, you've got a point, _Adrien said. _Thanks for letting us know. _

_If they even come close to Fireball, I'll mess them up real good, _Jordan texted.

Kyle closed his phone's messaging app and returned to the Team Dominion app. The other members in the area were still texting each other. Kyle made a quick scan of the messages that had been sent while he had been occupied and found what he expected. They were talking about stealing their Pokemon.

Kyle sighed. _At least I'll be able to report them if they try to steal Eve, _he thought. _That's something._

Kyle had one more thing he wanted to do today. He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and returned Eve to its Poke ball. He put his beanie on his head and left his room, calling for Chelsey to do him a favor since she wasn't working today. He had thought of a place a few minutes ago that he wanted to visit. It would help him execute his plan.

* * *

"So," Marcus said. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Kyle stood in Marcus's room for the second time that week. He had seemed to be in the exact place Kyle and his friends had left him a few days before: sitting in his chair and playing video games. The state of the room hadn't changed much, either. In fact, it only seemed to Kyle like it had gotten messier.

"Why you ask me?" Kyle asked. "I thought it was clear that I wanted to do this. I need to know if _you're _willing to do this for me. I'll be paying you al little, but this isn't exactly legal."

It had been much easier to get inside Marcus's house this time; his dad seemed much more satisfied than he had been last time due to the significant decrease in the number of people requesting entry into his home. Marcus's mother had been thrilled once again and had offered to make food.

Kyle had proposed his idea to Marcus, who had at first been on the fence. He wanted payment for insurance in the scenario that Kyle's plan failed. Kyle couldn't blame him. He wouldn't have believed it either if a young teenager wanted help to take down or at least majorly cripple an organization mostly on his own. Kyle had agreed to the payment, but it seemed to Kyle for a moment he might still be unsure.

Marcus waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, don't worry about whether it's legal or not," Marcus said. "I do illegal things with my computer all the time. I just need to make sure that you're aware that you'll fall as well if we get caught."

Kyle nodded. "I understand the risks."

Marcus seemed to accept this. "Y'know," he said. "You didn't seem like the kind of guy that would want someone to do something like this. After all, you played the righteous hero when you took that Eevee from Jordan."

"Think of it this way," Kyle said. "Some people might have thought taking Eve away from Jordan was wrong. They might even call it stealing. But it was for a greater purpose."

"Right," Marcus said. "He already had a Pokemon. Not only that, but he would've treated it like an animal back then. You should've seen how he trained his Chimchar. It's a wonder that poor thing stuck with him."

Kyle thought about how Fireball had acted during their battle a month ago. It was very attached to Jordan, Kyle knew that. He, like Marcus, hadn't known why. But Kyle was starting to think that maybe Fireball had, at one point, seen the better side of Jordan, if that had been possible before. It was an interesting thing to think about.

Marcus nodded. "Okay, I'll get started soon."

"Good," Kyle said. "Remember to get stuff that's not too important. We wouldn't want to put ourselves at a complete disadvantage. Look for the minor things."

"Sure," Marcus said. "Let me give you my number so I can send you stuff you can use. That way, you'll also be able to make the final decision on whether or not to give it to Team Dominion."

"Okay," Kyle said, handing Marcus his phone. When Marcus put in his number and handed the phone back, Kyle waved his goodbye and left Marcus's house. He smiled as he thought about his plan.

_This can work._

* * *

Talonflame flapped its wings hard as it streaked speedily across the horizon. It had been flying almost non-stop since it had departed its habitat. The urgency in its head told Talonflame that it had little time to rest.

It wouldn't be too much longer.


	15. A Leader's Intent

**A Leader's Intent**

* * *

_Wait, is that-?_

_..._

_I see now. _

_So this is what they are actually planning._

_I suppose I am the cause of all of this, then._

* * *

Dream Eater stood in one of the designated battlegrounds in the primary Team Dominion hideout. His Gengar, Midnight, was poised, facing the prey that stood before it and its trainer. Strapped to the ghost Pokemon's backside was a strange device, one made of steel. It had yellow bulbs on it that glowed in harmony with the light bulbs in the room.

Dream Eater had finally returned to the primary hideout after many days of being out in the field. As soon as he had gotten back, he had started doing what he usually did while he was inactive. He was dedicating each moment of his time towards training Midnight.

A trio of Pokemon faced Midnight, all with the unwavering, though foolish, intent of defeating Midnight. The Pokemon were from some of the other various CPP locations that Team Dominion had stolen from. The three Pokemon included a Furret, a Heracross, and a Hariyama. Overall, Midnight had many significant advantages in the situation. It would allow the battle to be over with much more quickly.

Midnight suddenly darted from its position, moving in a blur. The eyes of its opponents darted here and there, trying to keep up, but in vain. Midnight's movement would have been near impossible to track even for a Pokemon close to its level, much less these Pokemon, whose only use was farming and not battling. Dream Eater could only comprehend his Pokemon's whereabouts because he knew where it was going to end up.

Midnight rebounded off the ceiling, streaking straight towards the ground. It released a single bolt of lightning that struck Hariyama directly in the center of its stomach, blasting the arm thrust Pokemon backward into the concrete wall 20 yeards away. The wall cracked and bits and pieces of rubble flew in every direction. The walls in this complex, however, were very thick, and so the impact didn't do any real damage. Hariyama didn't move from where it had been put by Midnight's Thunderbolt attack.

The bulbs of the device on Midnight's back glowed brighter for a small moment at the same time the Pokemon's eerie grin briefly grew wider. The machine had no true name, but many referred to it as the Experience Increaser or EXPI for short. It was another one of Team Dominion's personal inventions, similar to the Trans-attack. The device did exactly what the name implied. When a Pokemon was defeated by another Pokemon with the EXPI, much more experience was gained. It allowed Midnight, as well as many other Pokemon belonging to Team Dominion operatives, to level up much faster than the average Pokemon. With it, Midnight had nearly reached level sixty. It was the strongest Pokemon anyone in Team Dominion owned. Dream Eater had checked.

With one enemy down, Midnight moved on to the next. Throughout the entire time since the ghost-type had moved, Dream Eater hadn't uttered a single command, nor a single word. He hadn't needed to. He had only been required to explain to Midnight the specific actions and maneuver's he had wanted the Pokemon to do before letting it loose upon its rather unfortunate victims. So far, Midnight had performed Dream Eater's commands word-for-word. However, it had been a small achievement.

Furret immediately scurried over to where Midnight stood after it had landed a Thunderbolt attack on Hariyama. Dream Eater could see dark energy surrounding the Furret's right hand, which was clenched into a fist. Furret was trying to land Sucker Punch on Midnight. Due to the Gengar's type, Sucker punch would deal a fair amount of damage, even though the Furret was far below Midnight in level.

However, even if the two Pokemon were the same level, Dream Eater wouldn't have been worried. He had seen this coming. It made sense that the Ferret would try that move as soon as an opening presented itself and that that move would be Sucker Punch. He had advised Midnight to prepare for it earlier.

Right before the Furret's attack would have landed, Midnight moved swiftly away from the danger, causing the brown striped Pokemon to swipe through empty air. Midnight, however, didn't counterattack. Rather, it switched its focus onto Heracross, who had yet to move. In fact, it seemed that the bug-type Pokemon was still trying to figure out where Midnight was. It had yet to realize that it was about to face the same fate as Hariyama.

Midnight brought its hands together, leaving a few inches of empty space between them. Drops of dark purple energy formed and broke away from the Gengar's fingertips and accumulated between its hands to form Shadow Ball. Midnight spread its hands and the ball of ghost energy was launched like a cannonball towards the helpless Heracross. It struck the single horn Pokemon square in the face. Heracross wasn't sent as far as Hariyama, though it did tumble across the hard floor, sending more pieces of concrete around the large room.

With the two stronger opponents, Midnight could now focus on the final and weakest one. Furret once again attempted to hit Midnight with Sucker Punch, and just like the previous time, it failed to even brush its fist against Midnight's ghostly purple skin as the Gengar swiftly dashed away with the surprising grace of a dancer.

With only one opponent remaining, Midnight could use Hypnosis without having to worry about a separate enemy taking advantage of how long the move took to complete. Midnight's red eyes flared as it activated Hypnosis, giving off a small amount of light. It stared intently at Furret; one might even think Midnight was gazing into Furret's soul, trying to force it into a deep sleep. However, Furret closed its eyes and looked away, resisting Hypnosis and remaining fully awake. Dream Eater gritted his teeth. He sometimes hated how Hypnosis could miss every once in a while.

Midnight's eyes stopped glowing, and it didn't move as Furret's tail began to glow with a white-gray light. Furret approached Midnight on all fours and lept into the air. Midnight was unable to react; it always became slightly light-headed after using Hypnosis. It wasn't much of a delay, but it was enough for a quick Pokemon to land an attack.

Furret flipped forward and brought its glowing tail down on Midnight. Iron Tail. Midnight crumpled to the ground and a dent formed in the concrete floor from the impact of Iron Tail. Furret leaped away from Midnight, its tail resuming its normal color.

Dream Eater sighed. His goal was to get through every trio of Pokemon Team Dominion had available for farming without Midnight being touched a single time. This was the first time Midnight had been hit with an attack, breaking the streak. They had gotten rather far, defeating almost thirty Pokemon before Furret's Iron Tail had put them back at zero.

_Such a shame,_ Dream Eater thought to himself.

Furret was prepped and ready for when Midnight would get back to its feet. It crouched low to the ground, its snakelike body hovering with a few inches above the floor. Soon, Midnight began to move once more. It stood back on its feet then remained perfectly still. Based on the surface of Midnight's skin, one wouldn't think the shadow Pokemon hadn't taken any damage at all. Dream Eater, however, saw more than what was on the surface.

Midnight's ridiculous grin remained as always, but there was something different about its eyes. They were still red with tiny, black pupils, but they held a different emotion than before. Midnight was almost always calm and cold, emotions that were reflected in its eyes when they were dull. But now the eyes were vicious, displaying intense anger. Though its body didn't take damage, its pride had taken a major blow.

A single Thunderbolt struck Furret and launched it to the other side of the room many yards away. It crunched against the wall and fell limp to the ground, knocked unconscious. Dream Eater nodded to himself as the bulbs on the EXPI briefly glowed for the second time.

_Wait, _Dream Eater thought as he realized something. His body stiffened only slightly. _They've only glowed twice. That means-_

The Heracross, which Dream Eater had foolishly thought had been defeated, decided to discontinue its trickery and attack Midnight, who could not see it. Based on its unbelievable fast speed, Dream Eater guessed that Heracross was using Aerial Ace, a move that couldn't be evaded.

Dream Eater opened his mouth to warn his Pokemon of the approaching danger despite Aerial Ace's hit-to-miss ratio, but there was no need. Midnight rounded on Heracross before it was only a few yards away and flared its eyes. Heracross stopped in its tracks and slumped to the ground, sleeping. Its momentum carried it across the floor, coming to a halt at Midnight's feet. Midnight had managed to use Hypnosis before Heracross's Aerial Ace had reached it.

The Gengar leered upon Heracross's sleeping form as it opened its grinning mouth. White threads flowed out from every opening above Heracross's shoulders and into Midnight's mouth. Heracross began to thrash on the floor. Throughout the entire time, Midnight's eyes held an insurmountable hunger within.

Then it was done. The white threads stopped flowing and Heracross's thrashing digressed to twitching. The EXPI's bulbs glowed briefly. Midnight fired off another Thunderbolt at Furret's body across the room. Dream Eater supposed it was for good measure.

Dream Eater removed four Poke balls from his pocket. He pointed one at Midnight. The ghost-type shrunk as it was transmuted into photons that the Poke ball could contain. Dream Eater used the other three Poke balls to do the same to the defeated Pokemon. He then left the large, empty room through a door behind him in the corner. He didn't bother thinking about the damage he left behind; he decided to let it be someone else's problem.

The halls of the rest of Team Dominion's hideout all looked exactly the same. They were slate gray, smooth, and empty save for the occasional door or air vent. The doors were all virtually identical; some had a word or two painted on them in varying colors. This was done so each could member could claim a room for themselves. The words painted on the doors were the codenames of the operatives who had taken up residence in the respective rooms. Dream Eater's own room had the words "Dream Eater" written on his door in black. The doors without names painted on them were either bathrooms, storage closets, or large, empty areas like the one Dream Eater had just been in.

Dream Eater's footsteps echoed down the corridors and he headed towards the storage room. It was two floors down, and the stairwell was on the other side of his own floor. He thought it was rather annoying how far away it was from the best room for Pokemon battles.

Team Dominion's hideout was an underground complex. The leader conveniently discovered it soon after Team Dominion was founded. It was a rather appropriate place for a criminal organization to be in operation. Above the hideout was a small, abandoned building in a large city. Nobody besides Team Dominion operatives had entered the property in years. Nobody would be discovering them anytime soon.

Dream Eater passed a closed door in one of the halls. It looked like any other save for the one word painted on it. "Extrasensory," it read in pink. The first thing Sleep Squad's leader had done when she had been shown the layout of the complex had been to claim this room as her own. It was the room with the most number of outlets, as well as air vents, compared to any other, which satisfied her need for multiple computers. Few argued with her and those who did had given up quickly. Dream Eater often went to her room in the rare cases he wanted to use a computer since he didn't have his own.

After a few more minutes of walking, stairs, and multiple turns, Dream Eater arrived at the storage room. The door providing access had a poor painting of a Poke ball on its surface. Dream Eater wondered how someone could possibly paint such a simple object so badly. He concluded that it was done either lazily or hastily; most likely the prior. Dream Eater put his hand on the knob, twisted, and pushed all in the same motion. The door swung open, granting him entry.

Dream Eater had always found this room to be slightly more fascinating to look at than all the other rooms in the Team Dominion hideout. It was about a fourth of the size of the room Dream Eater had used for battles. The walls were lined with yet another one of Team Dominion's original machines: the healing station. Each one looked like a small metal box with six indents on the top. A Poke ball fit perfectly into these crevices. The machine would then begin to heal the Pokemon in the Poke ball, up to six at a time. It saved having to take out your Pokemon and treat it with potions all the time.

Wires were strewn all over the floor, all originating from a single point in the center of the room. A PC and a monitor was placed on a small table. The wires in the PC connected to each healing station, allowing someone to see the Pokemon being healed using a certain program. An operative was sitting on a stool in front of the PC working on something Dream Eater couldn't see. The operative was different than the one who had been sitting at the PC when Dream Eater had come to borrow the three Pokemon he had just defeated. They must have change shifts while he had been busy battling.

He was a younger man, maybe about a few years older than the member who had been captured during their last heist. He had already forgotten that boy's name; it was irrelevant now that he was no longer a part of Team Dominion. Dream Eater could tell just by looking at the operative stare at the PC that he had an energetic personality. However, it seemed that he was forcing it down in an effort to be chill.

Dream Eater didn't know which squad the operator working in the storage room belonged to. Dream Eater thought his codename might be Fire Spin, which meant he would be on Burn Squad. He didn't want to risk using the wrong name, however, so he would avoid addressing him with one.

The operative looked up as soon as Dream Eater opened the door. He looked like he wanted to give a greeting, but held his tongue. Dream Eater didn't feel like giving one himself, so they simply went straight to conversation.

Dream Eater held up the three Pokeballs containing the Pokemon he did not own. The devices were not registered to anyone trainer, as traditional Poke balls were. This allowed anyone to use them.

"These have fainted," Dream Eater said. "Put them in a healing station, then give me three more."

Fire Spin - Dream Eater decided he would simply call him that in his mind - wordlessly rose from his stool to take the Poke balls. Dream Eater handed them over. Fire Spin turned away and approached a healing station with three empty crevices and placed the Poke balls inside. The machine hummed, and small orange lights appeared next to each Poke ball, a sign that the machine was healing them.

Fire Spin then proceeded to return to the PC. He sat back down on the stool and typed a few keys on the keyboard. He then furrowed his eyebrows and frowned at something on the monitor.

"What is it?" Dream Eater asked.

"It's just that none of the Pokemon we have here are fully healed," Fire Spin explained. "I can't give any to you until they are." Fire Spin leaned back as far as the stool would allow. "I've certainly never seen anything like this happen before. I wonder how it happened. A lot of people must have been borrowing today."

Dream Eater sighed. _No, _he thought. _I simply tore through them too quickly. _Healing stations were effective, but they were also slower than potions. Especially when so many were connected to the same power source and running at once. Team Dominion was still working on a way to make the process faster.

"That's fine," Dream Eater said. "I'll just come back when they're healed."

Fire Spin nodded. He still looked like he wanted to start up a conversation but was holding himself back. Dream Eater turned and left the storage room, moving slightly faster than usual. He didn't want to give the member any more time to finally open his mouth.

_What now?_ Dream Eater thought. He was out of Pokemon to battle and, therefore, left with limited options to satisfy his boredom. He could try and find another member of Team Dominion to battle, but the would take to long for Dream Eater to consider it worth his time. Most members didn't like battling him since he was too strong and seldom lost. However, the leader might be willing to battle…

No. He wouldn't go there. He didn't want to talk to him unless it was absolutely necessary. Dream Eater would find something else to occupy himself.

The only other thing Dream Eater could do that he enjoyed at least a little bit was examining the Team Dominion member page. There were, at some times, some entertaining things there. Sometimes a member would post a video of themselves stealing someone else's Pokemon. Or maybe there would be petty squabbles between members as the argued like five-year-olds trying to decide who was the best. Things like that.

Dream Eater went all the way back to Extrasensory's room. He would need a computer to access the page since he didn't have a phone with him. When he reached the door, he knocked twice. There was a moment of stillness before the door swung open, and Extrasensory faced him. She wore a black sweatshirt and a pair of black sweatpants. She wasn't wearing any shoes, and her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. The room behind her was almost completely dark. The only sources of light Dream Eater could make out were the computer monitors in the room.

Extrasensory raised her eyebrows. "You again?"

"I'd like to use a computer," Dream Eater stated.

"You know, if I could just get you to leave me alone, nobody would ever bother me," she remarked.

Dream Eater didn't say anything. He didn't feel like responding to that.

Extrasensory sighed. "All right, come on in." She moved aside to allow Dream Eater entry.

Dream Eater was surprised. It usually took more than that to get inside Extrasensory's room. She had been reluctant to allow him to use a computer the first few times he had asked. That was he had explained that he didn't want to be in the same room as her any more than she did with him. She had seemed to get angry at that remark. In any case, it usually took several minutes of talking. He supposed that Extrasensory had finally gotten used to it.

The room was a mess. A small bed with tangled sheets was shoved into one corner of the room and the rest of the room included wires, tables, chairs, potato chip bags, potato chips, a near-empty trashcan, and computers. There was a single mini-fridge next to the bed. At first glance, Dream Eater thought it was a nightstand.

"So, what'll it be today?" Extrasensory asked as they both sat down at their computers. "Stalking people on our site?"

Dream Eater's surprise was replaced by a slight annoyance. "Please do not talk to me," Dream Eater said. "Especially not when you plan to mock me."

Extrasensory snorted, and silence ensued. Dream Eater opened the Team Dominion application on the PC and made a quick scan. Things seemed pretty uneventful. Perhaps he had been wrong to try to use this for entertainment today. He looked at the various posts members hade made for everyone else to see and found nothing interesting.

Then, a certain post suddenly caught Dream Eater's eye. He clicked on it so he could focus more easily. The thing that had drawn his attention was that it was directed towards the main operatives of Team Dominion.

Dream Eater read the post. His eyes traveled from side to side as he worked his way down. When he was finished, he found that his curiosity had peaked. He clicked on the username of the poster so he could send him a direct message.

_To: 000493_

_From: _Operative _Dream Eater_

_I saw your post. Send me the file you were talking about._

Dream Eater waited a few minutes after hitting send. He was then rewarded with a message in his inbox.

_To: _Operative _Dream Eater._

_From: 000493_

_Here you go._

Dream Eater opened the document and silently looked it over. He never had to take a second glance at anything, nor was he ever doubtful or amazed as he read. When he was finished reading through the document, he calmly closed out of the Team Dominion application and shut the computer down. He stood and move towards the door to leave.

"Going so soon?" Extrasensory asked. She was sitting with her bare feet placed on the table as she leaned back in one of the only proper chairs in the Team Dominion hideout. Only the leader's plushy couch that he kept to himself could rival its softness.

Dream Eater didn't turn to face her as he spoke. He opened the door to exit. "I've decided that I should probably discuss something with someone I know." He shut the door behind himself.

* * *

Leader laid back across his brown leather couch. It had been really the only thing he had wanted when everyone had moved into the underground complex. Well, only that and this large spacious room to suit his king-like needs. Along with access to any Pokemon he wanted. As well as an army of soldiers to do his bidding. But that wasn't important.

Leader rested the back of his head against one of the armrests of the couch and laid his legs on the armrest on the other side. He held a normal Poke ball above his face, turning it with his fingers and examining it from all angles. He wasn't looking at anything about it in particular; he was simply gazing upon it. For the first few seconds of rotating the Poke ball in his hand, he could almost forget how bored he was. Those seconds, however, were gone in what felt like an instant. Leader sighed and let his arm fall beside him, hanging over the front of the couch and touching the floor.

Leader wanted more than anything to be out in the field, completing these heists and raids himself. Even so, he knew that he was more useful where he was, guiding everyone else and telling them what to do. Not only that but if Team Dominion ran into bad luck like those two others who were captured a few days ago and Leader himself was caught, the entire team would collapse. He was sure of it.

The room the Leader was in was one of the largest in the underground complex and it was the second-farthest away from the main entrance to the complex. The farthest room was connected to this one. That room was much smaller than this one, so Leader used it as a sleeping area or a place to go when he didn't want to be disturbed. There was a discreet exit in that room he could go to in the doubtful case that Team Dominion's hideout was overrun with hostiles.

Various pieces of exercise equipment were scattered on the right side of the large room. Usually, Leader would be working out to rid himself of his boredom, but he had done so for the past week. He needed a bit of a break. The other side of the room consisted of tables with computers and empty food plates, along with a refrigerator. Leader had already spent many hours that day on a computer and had gotten bored of it after a while.

Just when Leader thought he was going to snap into insanity, the entry door to the room opened. Leader had to make an effort not to sit up quickly; he wanted to maintain his reputation of composure and slight indifference. In reality, he was excited that he'd be able to talk to someone. Especially when he saw who was entering.

The visitor wore all black, which was the common choice of many of the members of Team Dominion. It _was_ the color Leader had chosen to represent Team Dominion, after all. The visitor wore a pair of sweatpants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of boots. His short blonde hair was a contrast to the color of his outfit. His face had been clean-shaven the last time the leader had seen him, but now there was some stubble forming.

Leader forced himself not to smile too widely. He allowed himself a tiny smirk as the visitor approached him.

"Hello there, _Dream Eater." _He said the codename in a slightly mocking tone, barely noticeable to someone who wasn't paying attention. "I believe only squad leaders are able to visit me. Even then, they need to make an appointment."

Dream Eater sighed and Leader's smirk grew a little bit more. Leader had purposely chosen not to make Dream Eater a squad leader just in an attempt to bother him. Both of them knew that.

"Come on, Phillip," Dream Eater said. "Call me by my real name."

Leader raised his eyebrows, still keeping a straight-ish face. "What do you mean?" He asked. "Isn't Dream Eater your codename? Just as Leader is mine?"

"It's bad enough to call others these stupid names," Dream Eater said. "I only do it because I don't know their real ones. I also only made one for myself because it didn't seem like you would leave me alone if I didn't. So just spare me and call me by my real name."

Leader let himself go and grinned widely. "How've you been, Luke?"

Luke, or Dream Eater as he had decided to call himself after Leader's insistence that everyone needed a codename, was Leader's older brother by four years. They had grown up with a one-sided relationship. Leader had enjoyed spending time with Luke, though Luke had been rather indifferent. Leader had been crushed in his younger ages when his parents had told him that he wasn't allowed to see Luke anymore. They had said he had become a criminal and that being around him was bad for Leader.

After starting Team Dominion, Leader had almost immediately sought out Luke so they could work together after more than ten years of being apart. He had offered Luke a Pokemon, Gastly, and a place to hide. Luke had accepted and had spent almost all of his time with that Pokemon. Leader knew Luke would never admit it, but he thought that Luke was happy that he had finally found something close to a real friend, something Luke had never had before. He called his Pokemon Midnight, and it had quickly developed into the strongest Pokemon Team Dominion had at its disposal. It might have even been one of the strongest Pokemon in the world at that moment.

"I've been trying to get rid of my boredom," Luke said, "And I came across something you might want to know. I'll tell you, then I'll be off."

"You're not going to spend time to give me an update?" Leader asked. "We're brothers, you know. We should check on each other every once in a while."

"You still sound so much like a child, and you're nearly thirty."

Leader chuckled.

"Anyway," Luke said, "I thought I'd tell you about something I saw on the Team Dominion application. Have you looked around there lately?"

Leader hadn't, and so he answered accordingly. He usually didn't find anything worth looking at on the application. He had only developed it so he could gain followers to his cause.

"Well, I saw a post only a few minutes ago," Luke explained. "It was from a low-ranking member. He was trying to get the attention of one of the higher-ups. He said he had hacked into the CPP database and had found something we might find useful."

Leader chuckled. "Oh, did he? What did he find? Something our hackers already discovered?"

"He found the farming facilities."

Leader froze and stopped chuckling. He stared straight at the ground beneath his feet. Not a single muscle on his body so much as twitched for about a second. Even after that second, his movement was rather minimal.

"We couldn't even find those," he breathed. He looked back at Luke, who didn't seem to feel even the slightest bit of what Leader was feeling right at that time. "How many?" He asked.

"Only two," Luke replied, "And they're in other countries. But he says there's more, and he thinks he can find their locations. There are probably even a few in our own continent."

Leader sat back. The farming facilities were CPP sponsored locations that gathered and raised Pokemon eggs and newborn Pokemon. It wasn't the fact that he now had access to the locations of those farms that made Leader feel the way he did. It was the fact that nobody in Team Dominion could find even one through hacking. The locations were more encrypted than the schematics for the Dominance ball had been.

"I think I know what you're thinking about," Luke said. "Do you think he can do it?"

Luke was referring to something only the two of them knew about. It was Leader's real goal. Sure, the goal of Team Dominion was to use Pokemon as weapons in the hopes to dominate a large nation, or even the world. However, this was only part of what Leader planned to achieve.

He had seen something on the day of the first Arceus when the white light had enveloped him along with the rest of the world. It had been a creature, one he had been unable to see the exact details of. It had four legs, and it had been a little larger than himself. Leader was sure he had never seen anything so magnificent in his life. He had thought about it every minute since that day to the point where he became obsessed with it.

When he had decided that the creature must have been a Pokemon years later, he had wanted nothing more than for that Pokemon to be his. He knew it was what must be, as no one else had reported sightings of anything resembling what Leader himself had seen through the light. He had made it his undying goal to find it and capture it. He had sought out the Dominance ball solely for this purpose, since it was better designed to capture Pokemon on the first attempt, unlike the classic Poke ball. Leader's intentions had never wavered, not even while he knew it lived in the sky, out of any normal man's reach.

He had recently found out through rumors online that the CPP had a way to get to wherever the Arceus had come from. As soon as he had discovered this, he had mindlessly spent all of his money on hackers so they could find any sort evidence of these rumors within the CPP's database. He didn't even know for sure if the rumors were true or false. He didn't care. Such was his obsession.

His hackers had searched under every stone they could get their hands on and had come up with nothing. However, Leader knew there were more stones that were out of their reach. He had simply needed someone who could go that deep. Until now, he had continued to search while leading Team Dominion. He was becoming desperate to obtain someone who could do what he required. If he couldn't find a way to capture that Pokemon, he didn't know what he would do.

Leader pierced his gaze into Luke's. "It doesn't matter whether I think he can do it or not," Leader said. "All that matters is that this guy is already ten times better than any hacker we've come across so far. I'll most likely be needing him."

Luke nodded. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"We need to make him more loyal to us. Send him a Dominance ball, and give him a whole bunch of points." Leader wanted nothing more than to summon this mysterious hacker right then, but he knew he shouldn't be so hasty. He had been let down multiple times before. "Have him find a few more things from the CPP database. Just to be sure he's worth our time," he added.

Luke nodded again and turned to leave. As he exited the room, Leader repeated the determined vow that daily went through his head, his voice below a whisper.

"You will be mine."


	16. Gifts From Both Sides

**Gifts From Both Sides**

* * *

_Talonflame has been flying for many days now. _

_It nears its destination._

_I can only hope that my gift will provide assistance._

* * *

Kyle walked down the quiet streets of his neighborhood, his shoes making imprints in the thin blanket of snow covering the ground. He had just been dropped off at his stop by his school bus and was heading home. There wasn't anybody he could see outside beside himself; everyone seemed to be indoors. Kyle appreciated that. He liked to have moments sometimes when it was just himself and open space. He hadn't gotten that lately during his walks home. Ever since the second Arceus had struck, the streets had been practically overrun.

Of course, Eve was an exception. The dog-like Pokemon moved at a trot beside its trainer, matching his speed. Kyle had made a habit of letting his Eevee out as soon as he exited the school bus and started on the road to home. He enjoyed watching Eve when it decided to dance around in the bright snow every once in a while.

A few days had passed since he had shared his plan with Marcus, who had agreed to help with payment in return. Kyle had decided that he would have to use the money he had made in return for his services to the CPP. He had successfully shipped the Dominance ball over to them and had been paid a small amount in return.

The idea of using the money he had earned didn't exactly thrill Kyle, but not because he planned to use the money on something he wanted. Every dollar he earned that didn't go towards helping his family's financial state made Kyle feel guilty. However, he had sworn that he would not allow the use of the money for his own wishes and interests to become a common practice.

Marcus had already proven himself to be worth the money. He had discovered the location of three farming facilities around the world after only "a few days of concentration and patience," according to Marcus, who had also claimed he could find the rest after a few months or so. Kyle had given up only two to Team Dominion, in addition to making sure the ones he sent over were as far out of their reach as possible. He had purposely given them the location of the facilities he knew about that were in different continents; one of the three Marcus had found was in California. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any news about Team Dominion overrunning one of the farming facilities within at least a couple of months. Their funding couldn't possibly be so high as to allow a trip like that unless they were already there.

He had already managed to receive acknowledgment of his service to Team Dominion. An admin of the Team Dominion application called Dream Eater had asked him for the locations Kyle had mentioned in his post. About a half-hour had passed after he had complied when Kyle received another message from Dream Eater telling Kyle to keep providing Team Dominion with information. They also said that a Dominance ball would be shipped to his address, which made Kyle exited. He was now one step closer to meeting his goal. He still had many steps to go, but it was nice to know he was getting somewhere.

Now, all he had to do was wait. Marcus would continue to information, though most likely much more slowly than he had initially. He had told Kyle that he had gotten a bit carried away during his first few runs through the CPP's encrypted database and that he might have lost a few hours of sleep.

His Dominance ball would most likely be arriving within a week or so. He had seen through the posts on the Team Dominion application that the production and distribution of the devices had been slowed slightly, which made sense. They had probably used up a lot of their resources during the first wave of distribution. Once Kyle had received his Dominance ball, he would be able to use it on Eve and set his false identity into stone.

Kyle turned at the end of the road and his house came into view on the left side of the street. Despite this, Kyle kept to the right and continued to walk past his house, Eve tagging along at his side. Kyle's Pokemon had been confused the first time he had done this, but it had quickly caught on. Kyle was paying a visit to the unowned house that was stationed at the address he had entered when he had created his Team Dominion account.

Kyle didn't really expect anything to be in the mailbox, but it wouldn't hurt to check. He approached the metal container standing in front of the small, unoccupied house. He put his hand on the latch and opened the mailbox.

Kyle raised his eyebrows in surprise. Inside of the mailbox was a small cardboard box. Kyle reached his hand inside and pulled it out into the light, shutting the mailbox lid as he did so. It was about as big as the box that had contained his Poke ball. Eve cocked its head upon seeing the package.

There was a note attached to the box. Kyle removed it and read it over.

_To whom it may concern..._

_I would like to think that the reason someone is using this address is not because of something illegal that they do not wish to use their own address for. Due to this, I will not be advising any authorities._

_Please do not be stupid._

_-The friendly mailman and his Delibird_

Kyle smiled at Mr. Roberts's note and tucked it away in his pocket. He then turned his attention back towards the unexpected delivery.

_Could they have already sent me a Dominance ball? _Kyle wondered. _Were they really that grateful to be given that information? _Kyle would have to go back to his room to find out. He couldn't open this package exposed to the eyes of his neighbors as he was. He was already a little cautious when it came to checking this mailbox.

Kyle made his way back in the direction he had come, crossing the street so he could enter his house. Nobody was home. Chelsey and Kyle's mother were both working, again. Kyle had long since gotten used to coming home to a silent and empty house.

Once he and Eve were inside, the two climbed the stairs and turned at the top. Once they were inside Kyle's room, he shut the door, let his backpack fall to the floor, and sat in his chair. Eve hopped on top of his bed and sat down as well, eyeing the box in Kyle's hands.

Kyle ripped the cardboard apart to reveal what he had expected to see, yet the confirmation still surprised him slightly. Inside of the box was a black Poke ball with the letters "TD" inscribed in gray on the top semi-sphere. Eve backed away slightly when it saw the device and Kyle did his best to put it at ease with a hand motion.

"It's fine," he said. "It's not a danger to either of us as it is." He removed the Dominance ball from the box moved it around in his palm. Eve visibly relaxed a little.

Kyle had told Eve about his plan and it had acknowledged and gave him permission to use the Dominance ball on it. Knowing this, Kyle held it up for Eve to see and pressed his thumb against the button, making the ball enlarge.

"Are you ready?" Kyle asked. "There won't be any overall change, but it might feel a little strange; I'm not quite sure."

Eve nodded. Kyle rose from his chair and took one step towards his bed to tap the Dominance ball on Eve's head. The Pokemon was gone in a flash of light, disappearing into the depths of the device. Kyle felt the Dominance ball working in his hand, overwriting codes and creating new ones. Then it was done. The ball shrunk.

Kyle pressed his thumb against the button once again and watched as the Dominance ball enlarged for the second time. The ball opened and Eve was released once more. It sat up on the bed and seemed to stare at nothing. Kyle guessed it was evaluating how it felt. After a few moments, Eve's eyes fell on Kyle's face, and it smiled. Nothing seemed to be amiss.

Kyle returned the smile. _Good, _he thought. _Glad that worked out well._

Kyle reached into the pocket of his dark blue jeans and pulled out his phone. He turned it on, unlocked it, then opened the Team Dominion application. As he had expected, there was a notification in Kyle's inbox. He opened it.

_Congratulations! _

_You have successfully stolen a Pokemon using our product, the Dominance ball! You may now call yourself a member of Team Dominion with confidence! _

_Now, the time has come for you to select a name. Our theme usually revolves around you and your Pokemon's signature move, so keep that in mind! Enter your username below and submit._

Kyle didn't hesitate. He entered and submitted his username.

_Welcome to Team Dominion, Judgement!_ A new notification read.

* * *

Leader looked at his computer. He had been told the hacker's ID by Luke, and he had been monitoring the account ever since during his spare time. He was re-reading his post for just about the millionth time when he noticed something.

The member's username had changed. It had been his ID only a moment ago, just like everyone else who lacked a Dominance ball. But now, it was something different, which meant the hacker had received his Dominance ball and caught a Pokemon. Quickly, too.

Leader grinned. "Why, hello there, Judgement."

* * *

Kyle was doing his math homework when he heard the noise. It had been rather quiet before then. Eve was resting on the bed. The only sounds were the ceiling fan blades slowly revolving and the pieces of paper fluttering in the artificial wind. Suffice to say it certainly disrupted the peaceful environment.

Then, suddenly, there was a thunderous noise just outside of his window that shook the entire room. Kyle jumped and fell out of his chair while Eve leaped at least four feet away from the window.

Cursing, Kyle pushed himself to his feet, using the chair for support. He moved towards the window and looked around. There didn't seem to be anything wrong. There was nothing Kyle could see outside. Had it been a bird that had hit his window and fallen?

Just as Kyle was about to turn around and exit the house to check the yard for anything unusual, a large, orange and black shape occupied the view through the window. It slammed against the glass, surprisingly without breaking it. Kyle fell backward again and let even more curses fly from his mouth.

Kyle picked himself up and looked out the window again as the shape continued to bang itself against his window. After a few moments, Kyle was able to get a good look at it.

It was a Talonflame, and it seemed to be carrying some kind of package wrapped in leaves. Kyle was surprised to see it here since he knew it couldn't be wild; he would've seen reports on the news and it wouldn't be carrying an object like the one it had in its talons. He also didn't know anyone in his area that owned a Talonflame. So what was it doing there?

Eve had regained composure and was now indicating the window lock with one of its paws. Kyle raised an eyebrow.

_Why would I let it in? _Kyle thought. _That thing would probably tear my room to pieces!_

Eve gestured once again, more firmly this time. Kyle sighed in submission. _You better be right about this, _he thought as he opened the window.

Kyle backed away and braced himself in the case Talonflame came barreling inside like a wrecking ball, but there was no need. Talonflame ceased its frenzy and floated inside with relative grace. The window was a little small and Kyle was just now noticing how exhausted Talonflame looked. Kyle recognized how fortunate it was that there was nothing inside the room too close to the window, though papers were sent flying due to the flapping of wings.

Talonflame dropped the package on the floor in the center of the room, then immediately collapsed on the ground. Kyle closed the window before cautiously stepping over to examine the bird-like Pokemon's condition. He wanted to be ready in case it suddenly burst into sudden movement.

The Pokemon was still alive, which Kyle had to check just to be sure. It didn't appear to be injured, either, only exhausted. It made Kyle wonder how long it had been flying or if it had simply been making haste. Whichever it was, Kyle decided he would simply let it rest until it was ready to leave.

He turned back towards the package on the floor. The only logical thing to do now was to open it. If a Talonflame had to furiously throw itself against his window to get his attention, the package was probably worth examining. Kyle nealt down and picked up the bundle wrapped in leaves. It was smaller than the other box he had recently opened; it was about as large as a football.

Something else bothered Kyle. The leaves on the package were still relatively green and at the same time felt and looked real. It was winter where he was; there were no green leaves anywhere near his location.

_Where did this come from? _Kyle thought to himself. He then looked at Talonflame, who was passed out on the floor. _Not only that, but how far did that Talonflame fly?_

Kyle recalled how Eve had insisted that the Talonflame be let inside. He held up the package to it as hopped down from the bed and started pacing around Talonflame, then Kyle. "Do you know what this is?" He asked.

Eve made a series of motions and facial expressions that Kyle couldn't make much sense out of. The best conclusion he could draw was that it didn't know what was in the package, but it could sense something about it.

Kyle ripped the leaves free and opened the bundle. There was a surprising amount of layers made up of leaves in the package; it took a minute for Kyle to remove them all. By the time he had reached the center, the floor of his room was strewn with individual leaves.

As Kyle removed the last leaf, the interior of the bundle was revealed to him. He cocked his head, unsure of what he was looking at.

There were eight of them, and they looked almost exactly like marbles. They were the same size and they had the same kind of pattern in design. However, these looked different from ordinary marbles. Each of them had something inside that was moving. Kyle could best describe it as a cloud of mist inside each one that was moving around. Four of the marbles contained white mist while the other four held dark gray mist.

In addition to these strange objects, there was a leaf that was larger and a different color than the rest. While the others had been green, this one was light gray. Kyle hadn't seen a leaf that color before in his life. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand.

Kyle raised an eyebrow when he saw writing on the back of the leaf. It wasn't just any common writing, however. The letters glowed slightly in white.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kyle muttered to himself. He read what the leaf had to say.

_Before I begin, I would like to establish your trust in me by explaining one of your memories. When I descended for the second time, we had a slight encounter. You saw me standing in front of you as I saw you standing in front of me. Then I left, and you proceeded to forge your own bond with one of my children only a few moments later._

_Now that I have established my credibility, I may begin. _

_Within this package, you will have noticed eight small, round objects. I believe the best name to give them would be candies, since that is the name your species has given to certain sweets. I do believe that they are very similar, in both looks and method of usage._

_The naming, however, is meaningless. Call them whatever you would like. What is more important is the power within them._

_I would firstly like to recommend that you separate the light ones from the dark ones, as they have different uses. I shall be using terms that your species developed for us in the hopes that it will help you understand._

_The light candies hold power that allows a Pokemon to gain thirty levels worth of experience by consuming them._

_The dark candies hold the opposite effect. It negates the effects of the light candies, draining the Pokemon of the extra experience. They will not, however, drain any more experience that has been provided by the light candies, nor will they have any effect on a Pokemon who has not consumed a light candy._

_I believe that these will assist you in fulfilling your "judgment."_

_Give one of the light candies to your Eevee, then use the dark candy when you feel it is necessary._

_The other six shall go to whoever you wish to help. I see that you often spend time with the same two people…_

_As for the final set? I believe we both know someone who is powerful enough to assist you. _

_Good luck. What you are attempting is dangerous to you, but possible. I believe you will be on the right track by the time this reaches you. I will be looking forward to watching you succeed. For the good of both Pokemon and those bonded to them._

Kyle blinked once when he had finished reading, unsure of what exactly to think. There were too many thoughts crossing his mind to focus on them all. Eve watched him curiously as he thought. He picked one question and settled his concentration into it.

_It knows English?_

No, not that one. Kyle decided it best to keep looking for a question that might actually hold some importance. He found another question.

_This is from the thing I saw that day? _Kyle thought back to when he had seen that strange creature in the light of the second Arceus. The creature that had inspired the name of Eve's signature move with the vibe Kyle had received off of it.

_It's contacting me? _Kyle thought. He looked at Talonflame's sleeping form once again. _It sent that to deliver this to me. But how? How could it get to-_

Kyle realized that there must have been a third Arceus a few days ago. It had to have been somewhere rather remote, too, or else it'd be all over the news. There were already too many more people around Kyle's house from the second Arceus. Kyle found himself feeling grateful.

_So it must want Team Dominion taken down as much as I do, _Kyle thought. _That's why it sent me these candies. It also must mean that it sees me as capable. That's a nice thing to think about._

Now all Kyle had to do was to decide who would help. Carol and Adrien were definitely on the list. Even the message had clearly mentioned the two of them. However, he still wasn't sure if they'd be willing to help him do something like this. He knew that it wouldn't be because they didn't want to help, he just wasn't sure if they wanted to put themselves in danger. There was no guarantee they'd come out unscathed. Kyle would have to ask anyway and hope for the best.

As for the other set, Kyle had a feeling he knew who the message had been talking about. He considered it for about a minute.

Finally, Kyle sighed, knowing what was the best option. While he and Jordan hadn't gotten along in the past, Kyle knew that Fireball was strong and would be a big help. He also knew that Jordan had massively changed his personality for the better lately. They would both simply have to throw their issues with each other aside. This might even make them friends. Like the others, he might not want to do something so risky, but Kyle would ask him anyway.

Kyle picked up the candies and looked around his house for a container to place them in. He settled on a small plastic bag and placed the candies inside, securing them. He picked up the leaves in the room and threw all but the one with the message outside. He put the light gray leaf on his desk.

After a few hours, Talnflame woke up and didn't destroy too many things in Kyle's room before he managed to open the window and set it free. Kyle watched as it flew off in the distance and out of his line of sight.

After Talonflame left, Kyle picked his phone up off his desk and opened his message app. He texted the group chat with himself, Carol, Adrien, and Jordan, asking if they wanted to hang out during the weekend. Kyle would use that opportunity to explain to them what he was planning and how they could use the candies.

Everyone responded, accepting Kyle's offer. Jordan's acceptance had come a little slower than the others'.

Kyle nodded to himself. He turned to Eve, who was eyeing the candies on Kyle's desk.

_Thirty levels, _he thought. _What will that be like?_


	17. Boredom, Loyalty, And Fear

**Boredom, Loyalty, And Fear**

* * *

_My representatives will band together to conquer the darkness of their world._

_While they do so, I will continue to tend to the darkness that attempts to seep its way into mine._

* * *

Jordan leaned against the trunk of a tree in Redvale Park. Fireball sat beside him, its eyes shut. The two had just finished some battling a few other trainers in the park and the Monferno was taking an opportunity to rest to recover a little while Jordan waited for Adrien, Kyle, and Carol to show up. Jordan had arrived an hour earlier than the designated time set by Kyle so he'd have some time for a few battles. Thankfully, nobody recognized him or his Pokemon today, so he and Fireball were able to fight others in peace. He was getting recognized less and less often and he was starting to hope that his torment was nearing its end.

The torment caused by other people, that was. Jordan was still brought to his knees at times by the frustration his false persona put him through. He was trying to get rid of it, but he wasn't making as much progress as he wanted. It still loomed in the back of his mind, taking control at times. Making him say things he didn't want to say. Making him do things he didn't want to do. Such was his life.

"Dammit!" Jordan cursed. Fireball opened its eyes and looked at him as he asked himself aloud, "What the hell am I even doing here?"

_I _shouldn't _be here, _Jordan thought. _It's not like they're my friends. They probably just hate me like everyone else. I'm nothing to them. They just feel sorry for me, that's all. Nothing more._

Jordan sighed, his frustration seeping away slightly. He wanted to leave and tell the others he couldn't make it. What prevented him from doing so was another part of him that wanted to spend time with them. That part of him didn't care about how the others felt. It only cared about the fact that it had felt nice to be around people who actually had admirable traits.

The truth was, he enjoyed hanging out with the others, more than he had enjoyed hanging out with anyone else, especially those who poisoned his mind with their influence. It had felt like he had been completely alone, and he hadn't been willing to accept it until now. But now, he had a chance not to be alone anymore.

_Of course, that doesn't mean Fireball isn't worth anything, _Jordan thought. He put a hand on the fire-type and rubbed the top of its head. Fireball closed its eyes again and smiled as it relaxed its body. Jordan smiled, too. Fireball had been a huge help in Jordan's mental recovery. For that, he would be eternally grateful. He had been wrong to ever doubt his Pokemon in any way.

Jordan detected movement in his peripherals and looked up to see Adrien approaching him, his Pikachu on his shoulder. Jordan remembered the day he Adrien had forced Jordan to back down after he had defeated Kyle and his Eevee. Adrien was almost the direct cause of his recent suffering by inviting everyone to stand against him and his Pokemon. That was something a part of Jordan couldn't forgive just yet.

_No! _Another voice inside Jordan protested. _I deserved it! I deserved _all _of that! _Jordan put a hand on his head, which had begun to throb. He wished the voices would just shut up already.

Adrien noticed his discomfort. Passing by a greeting, he instead went straight to asking, "Having a spike?"

Jordan grimaced. "Nothing I can't handle." He didn't want it to seem like he was completely at the mercy of his mind, which was sometimes true.

Adrien nodded and said nothing more as he leaned against another part of the tree, his Pikachu descending from his shoulder to sit at his feet. Of all the people in the world, Jordan had never known anyone who went through as much mental pain as Adrien. Jordan knew it was enough to make his own pains look like a sore muscle. And yet Adrien internalized it so well to the extent that one could barely notice it at all. Jordan knew because of what Adrien had told him that he was having an anxiety headache right then, but Jordan wouldn't be able to tell if Adrien hadn't told him that.

Adrien had a good life and a supportive family. They didn't know about his condition, of course. He kept that secret from them since he didn't want them to worry about him. He was smart and talented, and he had friends. Jordan couldn't say much for himself in those regards. Yet Adrien seemed to be the saddest and most anxious person Jordan could ever meet. One wouldn't know it unless he opened up to someone, and Jordan knew he was the only one that was aware of what transpired in Adrien's head.

The two humans and their Pokemon waited in silence. Adrien stood perfectly still while Jordan moved his foot around in the grass. There wasn't nearly as much snow on the ground today; one could see multiple patches of green in the park. It didn't matter to Jordan what the weather was like. He didn't really care if the ground was white or green.

"You're nervous," Adrien said finally, disrupting the quiet of the occasional breeze.

Jordan didn't respond for a moment. Fireball looked up at its trainer from where it sat. Jordan sighed.

"Of course I am," he said. "It's not like I have a reason not to be."

"I'll give you one, then," Adrien said. "I've talked to the others while we hung out in school and we've decided that we'd be happy to have you around."

_Lies, _a voice inside Jordan said.

"Besides," Adrien added. "I'm assuming it's helping with your head case."

He wasn't wrong. Jordan had certainly felt better after being around Adrien and his friends. But it was nowhere near enough.

Jordan let out an empty chuckle. "It's not like it's going to fix me completely. I'm having a hard time believing that's possible."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll work out," Adrien encouraged.

Adrien's optimism stirred something inside Jordan, making him angry. "What do you know?" Jordan growled. "It's not like your condition's improved, has it?! I seriously doubt that. So why are you being so stupidly naive?"

Adrien transferred to an even stiller state than he had been before. His Pikachu, which had been sitting on the ground, had noticed its trainer's changed state and was now on its tiny feet, pulling at the legs of Adrien's jeans.

Jordan cringed. _I didn't mean to say that!_ He wanted to take it back, but his pride wouldn't allow it. So he simply waited in agitation for Adrien's response.

Adrien was rarely openly hostile to others. His actions towards Jordan a month ago hadn't been hostility, it had been more based on something other than that. When Adrien's anger was really wound up, which Jordan had only seen once or twice, he gave off a certain vibe. A vibe that told someone that they had made a grave mistake.

Jordan heard Adrien take a deep breath before relaxing slightly. He pushed up the sleeve of his black jacket and began to rub his wrist. To one who was oblivious to Adrien's state of mind, it might look like he was trying to warm himself up. Jordan, however, knew what the gesture meant. Adrien often rubbed his wrists when his anxiety was spiking.

"Of course I don't feel better," Adrien said with bitterness so thick that it couldn't be compared to anything else. "I _know _for a fact that I never will. In fact, since I met them, some holes inside of me have widened to the point where they don't have much room left to widen." Adrien took a deep breath and his body became less rigid.

"But some holes have shrunk, too," he continued. "I'm able to forget about a little bit of my pain sometimes when I'm with them. It keeps me going." He turned to look at Jordan. His eyes were sincere, and the bitterness had left his voice. "You're not me. We don't quite have the same ailment. I think your problem can be solved with their help." Adrien turned away. "I'll be here, too."

Silence fell once again and Adrien's negative vibe disappeared. Adrien's Pikachu relaxed but continued to stare at Adrien in case his bitterness returned. Jordan pondered Adrien's words, still feeling a bit guilty for his outburst. He knew what Adrien said was probably true, but that didn't take away the fear he felt.

"How do I know you guys won't cast me out?" Jordan asked. The deep conversation was making him a little uncomfortable, but some things needed to be said.

"You can't," Adrien said. "You simply have to trust me when I say they won't. The only way you'd ever lose them would be when you turned your back on them. And even then, I'll do my best to stay on your side."

Jordan nodded in acceptance. Something inside of himself was still protesting, but it had been muted significantly for the moment. Jordan would have to ready himself for when it rose up again.

"Here they are," Adrien said. Jordan saw him put his sleeve back down.

Jordan looked up and recognized the faces of Kyle and Carol as they walked toward the tree Adrien, Jordan, and their Pokemon were under. Jordan took a deep breath and composed himself.

_Okay._

* * *

Carol waved as she and Kyle approached their two friends under the tree. Adrien made a small gesture of greeting with his hand. Jordan removed his backside from the trunk of the tree and stood to face them.

_I'm thinking of him as a friend, now? _Kyle thought. Then he realized he didn't have a good reason to be surprised about it. If he was reaching out to Jordan like this, they would have to be friends. A small feeling of shame clouded his mind before passing. _He's absolutely my friend. As long as he thinks of me as a friend too, I mean._

Kyle and Carol had run into each other while walking to the park. Kyle's sister, Chelsey, hadn't been able to drive him since she was working, as usual. They had seen each other across the street about ten minutes away from the park so they joined each other to chat along the way.

Carol had immediately asked why Kyle was calling everyone together, but Kyle had said that it would have to wait until they got to the park. Carol had jokingly pouted for a few seconds before complying and switching the topic to something else. The two had talked about the final set of four moves they planned to have for their Pokemon the rest of the way. Kyle had been describing his third possible set of moves he could choose depending on Eve's evolution when they entered the park and caught sight of Adrien and Jordan waiting for them.

Carol reached into her pocket and produced a Poke ball. She pressed her thumb against the button to enlarge it before releasing her Dratini, Scarf. It didn't materialize on the ground in front of her, but rather around her neck.

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "It just comes out like that, now?"

Carol laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Kyle reached into his own pocket to let Eve out before stopping himself as his fingers closed around his Pokemon's capsule. He hadn't been with any of his friends since Eve had switched from its Poke ball to Kyle's new Dominance ball. Kyle removed his hand from his jeans pocket, leaving the Dominance ball there. He would show them as he explained the situation.

"Are you going to let Eve out?" Carol asked.

Kyle forced his brain to work quickly. "Not yet," he said. "I'll wait a little bit."

_Wow, nice work, _Kyle thought to himself sarcastically. _Really sounded convincing there._

Kyle could sense Carol's suspicion, but she didn't press any further. The two kept moving towards the tree while Adrien and Jordan moved towards them as well. Their Pokemon tagged along beside their respective trainers as they stopped, standing a square-like formation.

"So," Carol asked as she turned to face Kyle, "What was it you wanted us to get together for?"

_Getting right to it then, _Kyle thought. Adrien and Jordan both faced him as well, expressions expectant. The eyes of their Pokemon were on him too. Scarf was leaning especially close to his face.

Kyle reached into his pocket and closed his hand around the secure Dominance ball in his pocket that held Eve. He slowly took it out and displayed it in an open palm. Everyone's eyes fell on the black and grey device.

A mix of emotions passed through the faces of Carol and Jordan, the prior more so than the latter. Adrien's calm expression didn't change, as per usual.

Carol looked up. "That's the same one we took from that other guy, right?" She asked.

"It's either that," Jordan said, "or he found another."

"Given the fact that he hasn't released his Eevee yet, it's also safe to assume that it's inside of there," Adrien said.

Carol and Jordan both paused to look at Adrien, whose expression faltered slightly at the sudden attention. Then the two of them both turned back to look at Kyle, who felt equally uncomfortable at their focused gazes.

"Is that the same ball as the one from before?" Jordan asked.

"No," Kyle said. "I sent that one over to the CPP so it might help them out a little."

"Wait a minute!" Carol exclaimed, her face suddenly growing a worried expression. "Your Eevee didn't get captured inside one of those, did it?"

Kyle shook his head. "No, it wasn't captured by someone else," he said. Carol relaxed and let out a breath. "_I_ put it in here," he finished.

Carol jumped up again. "What?" She asked. "Why?"

Adrien had been thinking all this time and seemed to realize something, as his expression changed again. He looked at Kyle. "They sent you one."

Kyle looked back at Adrien and couldn't help but feel impressed at his friend's deduction skills. He had figured out what was going on so quickly.

Carol turned her head between Kyle and Adrien, then stopped to settle her eyes on Kyle. "Is that true?" She asked. When Kyle nodded, she asked, "How did that happen?"

"He must've joined them, or something like that," Jordan said. "But I'm guessing it's not for the reason most people join."

"Right," Kyle said. He pressed his finger against the Dominance ball to unlock it, then pressed it a second time to release his Pokemon in a flash of light. Eve stood between the four humans and smiled up at them.

"So what, are you planning on trying to take them down or something?" Jordan asked with a minuscule hint of amusement in his voice.

"That's exactly what I'm planning to do," Kyle responded, choosing to ignore Jordan's tone.

"How?" Carol asked.

"I joined their ranks and recieved a Dominance ball by earning points."

"Points?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah," Kyle said. "They give you points for doing stuff that'll help their cause. Things like sending them supplies or something else like that."

"Couldn't police just use that application thing to find them?" Carol asked.

"Team Dominion send their own Pokemon to pick up the supplies," Kyle explained. "The police and the CPP have caught a few, but the Pokemon will refuse to lead them back to their trainers. If the police try to follow them or place tracking devices while trying to remain undetected, the Pokemon will notice anyway and refuse to move. Not only that but sometimes the Pokemon are so fast that they'll pick up the supplies and shoot off without the police being able to get even a glimpse of them."

"So you spent money on supplies to give to them?" Jordan asked.

"He wouldn't spend money for something like that," Carol said at the same time Adrien said something quietly about Kyle needed money for his family.

"Actually, I kinda did spend money on something like that," Kyle said as he scratched the back of his head, slightly ashamed. "Only I didn't spend as much as I might've needed to. I payed Marcus to hack into the CPP to find useful info I could relay to Team Dominion.

This comment actually made Adrien raise his eyebrows. Jordan chuckled a little, and Carol's jaw dropped.

"You just gave that stuff away to them?" Carol asked incredulously. "You know that's illegal, right? As in, you could be charged and arrested for it?"

"Yeah, I know," Kyle said. "But I didn't give them anything that could be useful in a short time. We'll have enough of an opportunity to do something before they can do anything with what I gave them. What matters is that it worked and I got my Dominance ball. Not only that, but I believe it's helping me gain their trust."

"What happens after you finish getting their trust?" Jordan asked. "How are you going to get to them?"

"I already have that sort of figured out," Kyle said. "I'll wait until they ask me to find something specific. I have a feeling that'll happen. Then I'll tell them I can't with the equipment I have on hand and I'll need something better. Then, hopefully, they'll offer me the use of their own equipment at their base. That's when I'll infiltrate it."

"Didn't you see what people in the news said?" Carol asked. "Their Pokemon are easily stronger than ours."

"I have something for that, too," Kyle said.

Jordan turned his head slightly to the side. "What? Do you have something that can make your Pokemon stronger? Or maybe make their's weaker?"

"Yeah, the first one," Kyle said. "I'll tell you about it later. I just came today to ask if you guys would be willing to help. I only have enough supplies for a total of four people."

"You think that you can do this," Adrien said. It wasn't a question, nor was it in surprise. He was simply making a blank statement.

"I do," Kyle said. Jordan chuckled again, earning him a glare from Kyle. "What, you think I can't do it?" He asked with a hint of challenge in his voice.

Carol sighed. "He's not the only one," she said.

Kyle turned towards the friend who had rarely doubted him in all the time that he had known her. Her face was apologetic. Kyle felt his jaw loosen, though his mouth remained closed.

"The thing is," Carol explained. "The fact that their Pokemon are stronger than ours is just one thing. I only said it so that it might discourage you enough." She stopped to take a deep breath. "But I don't think you're making sense. Just think about it! You know what they can do. They can hurt us with their Pokemon. Badly. You could take some serious damage while you're there. Hell, thinking you'll make it out alive is just silly in itself!" She looked down at her feet. "After all, they're a freaking criminal organization, and we're only kids."

Silence fell. As Kyle considered Carol's words, he felt a cloud in his head that he hadn't noticed before begin to clear away. Through the cloud, he could sense something familiar. Kyle realized that it was the part of his mind that usually influenced his actions. The part that wanted nothing to do with something as big as this. It agreed with everything Carol said and was protesting to Kyle, trying to get him to stop what he was trying to do.

_What am I doing? _Kyle thought, looking down at his palms. _She's totally right. Why am I trying so hard to make this happen? It's not like me…I would never go so far as this..._

"Okay."

Kyle moved his head upward. The cloud in his head stopped moving away. Kyle heard the shuffles of jackets and coats as Carol and Jordan also turned their heads. They all faced Adrien. This time, however, the calm-faced boy didn't display any sense of unease at receiving sudden attention.

Adrien didn't look at Carol or Jordan as they turned to face him. He kept his eyes centered on Kyle, who stood right in front of him. Then he blinked once as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh, wait," he said. He turned to the Pikachu at his feet. "I need to make sure you're okay with this."

Chu didn't hesitate. It bobbed its head up and down and let out a tiny burst of electricity from all around its body.

With that, Adrien nodded and turned back to Kyle. "Yeah, we'll do it."

Adrien's words sparked a memory inside of Kyle. '_What you are attempting is dangerous to you, but possible,'_ the note had said. '_For the good of both Pokemon and those bonded to them.' _

_It doesn't matter what we are, _Kyle thought, the cloud re-enveloping his mind. Though he had used a cloud metaphor, it felt that his mind was clearer as it was now. _The one who sent me the candies believes we can succeed, so that's that. I wouldn't believe it if anyone else told me, but seeing as how it literally descended from the sky, it might be worth putting my faith into._

Carol opened her mouth to say something but couldn't seem to get the words out. Kyle was in no similar state.

"That's one," he said.

"Why would you want to do this?" Carol was finally able to ask Adrien.

Adrien shrugged again. "I've been pretty bored lately."

Jordan began to chuckle slightly before he started laughing out loud for a moment. Kyle and Carol both stared at him while the corner of Adrien's mouth turned slightly upward.

"You should join in, too, you know," Adrien said to Jordan.

Jordan settled down after a few moments and smiled at Adrien while he considered. "Eh, I guess I don't have much of a reason to refuse if you're going," Jordan said at last. He turned to Fireball. "As long as you don't have an issue with it?"

The Monferno grinned and punched its knuckles together in front of its chest. Jordan grinned back even wider.

"Are you all out of your minds?" Carol asked. "This isn't a game! This is serious! You could all get killed!"

Adrien shrugged again without giving any verbal response.

Carol was stupefied. "Do you have a death wish?!"

_I'm wondering the same thing, honestly, _Kyle thought to himself. _His reasons for supporting me don't seem similar to mine at all. Could he really just be looking for an escape from his boredom?_

Adrien didn't respond, however, so neither Carol nor Kyle received an answer to their question. Carol gave up trying to talk Adrien out of it and decided to try somewhere else, turning her sights on Jordan.

"What about you?" She demanded. "Are you really doing this just because Adrien wants to?"

Jordan nodded. "Of course. Isn't that the kind of thing you'd do for a friend, after all?"

Carol stopped at these words. Kyle could see her jawline working; she was gritting her teeth.

"I would've thought that'd you'd try to keep your friend from getting themselves killed!" She said. "Which is what I'm trying to do right now with all of you!"

Jordan chuckled. "You really don't know Adrien at all, I suppose."

Anger flashed inside of Carol's eyes. "At least I care about him enough not to turn away," she growled.

Jordan's expression darkened and his eyes turned to stone. Fireball noticed this and grabbed his trainer's arm with a concerned look. The scarf had noticed its own trainer's stress and had tightened itself around her neck a little.

Adrien seemed uncomfortable that the two were discussing him. He and Kyle exchanged nervous glances. Things were not transpiring how Kyle had expected them to in his mind.

"I just need a yes or no," Kyle said slowly. "I need to know whether you're all willing to help me or not."

"Yeah," Adrien said.

Jordan nodded, eyes still hard. "Sure."

Kyle looked at Carol who was tugging on Scarf's body, trying to get it to loosen from around her throat. She looked back at him, face upset and angry. More than just that, however, was hidden within her eyes. Her eyes held worry and fright.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. Scarf let itself be loosened. "I-"

At that moment, Kyle felt a slight tremor beneath the ground he was standing on. The others must have felt it too, as Carol stopped talking and the two other boys looked down while taking a step or two backward. Their Pokemon noticed it, too, and backed away. Chu climbed up Adrien to stand on his shoulder and Eve prodded at the ground a little.

The tremor became more noticeable after a moment and everyone began to back away as it was clear it was originating from the middle of the square they had been standing in. As soon as Kyle figured that whatever was causing the tremor was directly below the ground, a small figure burst from the dirt and flew four feet into the air.

It was a Pokemon. Its figure was similar to that of an armadillo, though it also shared some characteristics with a mouse. Its scales were the color of dry sand. Kyle recognized it as a Sandshrew.

What troubled Kyle about the Pokemon, besides the fact that it had decided to dig a hole beneath them and spring up between all of them, was that he had noticed it was holding something using it's left appendage. The object was round and black, with the letters "TD" printed across it in dark grey.

Kyle watched, frozen, as the Sandshrew spun in the air and threw the ball directly at Eve. Kyle's Pokemon had not the time nor the agility to dodge out of the way in time.

The Dominance ball bounced once on Eve's backside.


	18. A Dance Of Petals

**A Dance Of Petals**

* * *

_She is reluctant to provide the assistance the anomaly's trainer wishes for._

_She cares deeply for her friends._

_That trait will take her far, though it may hinder their progress in their mission._

* * *

Noah had been terrified when he had been on the brink of losing his Pokemon. Before, Kyle could only imagine how that must have felt. Sure, he had once almost been bound by an agreement to hand Eve over to Jordan, but the chains that had held him into that pact had been rusted and worn, easy to break out of.

Now, however, he could say that he knew exactly how it felt.

Eve disappeared in a flash of light as its essence was contained in the Dominance ball thrown by Sandshrew. As soon as the ball closed itself, Sandshrew landed on the ground and darted towards it, scooping it up without breaking speed as it darted away from Kyle's group.

_This is bad!_ Kyle thought. _Before, it had been just one guy who was running away. But now it's a Pokemon. If it goes underground, it's all over._

Adrien was the first to react. "Quick Attack!" He called out. To Kyle, his voice sounded far away or as if he were underwater.

Chu sped across the ground towards the thieving Sandshrew. The mouse-like Pokemon noticed its pursuer and jumped into the air, pointing its head and hands toward the ground. It was going to try and escape through digging. Kyle could tell that Chu was too far away and that it wasn't going to make it.

A flash of light came from where Sandshrew was positioned in the air. It threw the sand-colored Pokemon off balance, causing it to fall on the ground and roll over its side a few times. An open Dominance ball fell to its side.

Eve materialized on the ground. Though its face might have usually been considered cute by many, it held rage. Eve opened its mouth and let out an angry cry as beams of light shot towards the Sandshrew, who managed to retrieve the now empty Dominance ball and avoid the attack just in time by digging underground.

Kyle let out a sigh of relief, though he was slightly confused.

Jordan voiced Kyle's thoughts. "Aren't Pokemon not supposed to be able to escape from those things?"

Kyle decided he was too grateful to care, and so he didn't respond to Jordan. All that mattered was that Eve was safe.

He felt another tremor beneath his feet. The Sandshrew was still there. Sure enough, it popped upward once more. This time it threw the Dominance ball toward Fireball. Fortunately, the fire-fighting hybrid was ready for it, dodging the Sandshrew's projectile.

"Alright, hit it with Mach Punch!" Jordan said.

Fireball moved quickly towards the airborne Snadshrew. Its closed fist began to glow as it leaped towards its foe. Sandshrew was helpless in its state.

A shadow above caught Kyle's eye. It was the shape of a large bird that blocked the sun out as it flew towards Sandshrew and Fireball. As it neared the two Pokemon, Kyle could see it had black feathered wings, red talons, a white belly, and a yellow beak. Kyle racked his brain to remember the name of the species. He believed it was a Swellow, the evolution of a Tailow. It was a normal-flying type.

Swellow's black wings began to glow similar to the way Fireball's fist glowed when it used Mach Punch. Before Fireball could land its attack on Sandshrew, Swellow slashed at Fireball with its wings. The Monferno took the hit and fell to the ground without hitting Sandshrew. Swellow then landed beside the ground type.

Kyle and Adrien called their Pokemon over. Fireball got to its feet and fell into a fighting stance. Carol extended her arm to allow her Dratini to slide off of her body and onto the ground. Four Pokemon with trainers against two Pokemon with no trainers in sight. Despite this, Kyle knew these two Pokemon must have had trainers. They weren't acting like wild Pokemon.

Kyle searched the rest of the park with his eyes. There weren't many other people there, and most were oblivious to the brief exchange of blows between Pokemon.

Kyle finally found what he was looking for. Across the park was a group of four kids around his age he didn't recognize. They were sitting at a park bench, talking to each other. They were also occasionally glancing over at them before turning back to talk to the others. It seemed like they knew what was going on but refused to openly show that they were taking notice.

Kyle pointed them out to his friends. One of the other kids saw Kyle's finger and sneered. He stood up from the table and began to head over to where Kyle and his friends stood. The boy's other friends stood up as well and began to follow him.

The group two guys and two girls approached the Swellow and the Sandshrew. The boy who hadn't led the rest of the group knelt beside Sandshrew and patted it on the head. One of the girls approached the Swellow and began to stroke its beak.

Jordan growled. "Team Dominion?"

The boy in front laughed. "Of course. That's rather obvious." He took a few steps forward and reached down to pick up the Dominance ball that had missed Fireball. He straightened and held it up in his hand. "Do you know anyone else who would have something like this?" He turned to Kyle. "Honestly, Judgment, why do you make friends with such dull people?"

Kyle froze. They knew who he was.

_Of course!_ He thought, connecting pieces of a puzzle in his mind. _There are six Team Dominion members around here. Two of them include me and that thief. These four must be the others. They were the ones who were talking about us. If my Team Dominion account suddenly became registered with an Eevee, they would know about it because of the chat. And if I, Kyle, still had my Eevee, they would know something was wrong. They must have figured it all out already._

Something else bothered Kyle as well. These people had targeted him and his friends, which explained why they were attacked, but could they have overheard his plans as well?

The boy saw Kyle's expression and grinned even wider. "Yes, we know who you are," he said. "And we were wondering why you would use a Dominance ball on your own Pokemon. First of all, how would you even become one of us? You already had a Pokemon, didn't you?"

"He's not one of you," Carol said.

"Oh, so he's a mole, then," the boy said. Then he shrugged. "I guess I'll have to report this to the higher-ups, then."

If this kid reported Kyle, he would lose all ties he had to Team Dominion. His plan would definitely be finished then. Why would Carol just come out and say that he wasn't one of them? She was ruining-

Right. She didn't want him to try and take down Team Dominion. If he was discovered, it meant that he wouldn't be able to.

"However, I have a proposal for you," the boy said.

Kyle raised his eyebrows. "I'm listening."

"First of all, allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Petal Dance."

Jordan snickered and Petal Dance glared at him. "You will regret mocking my name," he said. "When you see why I chose it." He pointed to the girl by the Swellow. "That's Aerial Ace." He pointed to the Sandshrew's owner. "And that's Dig."

"So you're all named after Pokemon moves?" Carol asked.

Petal Dance nodded. "That's correct. Though I'm sure it didn't take much for you to figure that out."

"I don't really give a damn what your made-up names are," Kyle said. "What's your proposal?"

"Well, you see," Petal Dance began, "you may have noticed I neglected to mention what her name was." He pointed to the girl standing off to the side. She hid a small smile behind her right hand. Her eyes encased a strong hunger.

"She doesn't have a name," Petal Dance explained, "Because she doesn't have a Pokemon yet. But she really, really, wants that Eevee of yours." He threw his hands in the air. "Unfortunately, it popped out of the Dominance ball. I can only guess that's because it's already been registered to one. Team Dominion must have made it so that Pokemon registered to Dominance balls can't be caught by other Dominance balls, however that works.

"So, since our first attempt at catching your Eevee failed, it will be much more difficult for us to obtain it. So I'm proposing that you make it easier for us and simply give us your Eevee. If you do so, I won't give the upper ranks any reason to think you're a rat."

Kyle relaxed slightly. _They didn't hear us. They only attacked us because they want Eve. _Still, it didn't make his situation much less stressful.

"He'd never do something like that!" Carol exclaimed.

Annoyance took its hold on Kyle. "Stop, Carol," he said forcefully. "I know what you're trying to do and I don't appreciate it."

Carol's looked down to hide her face in vain. Kyle saw it flush red.

"Anyway" Kyle said, returning to his conversation with Petal Dance. "Couldn't you just catch some other wild Pokemon instead of my Eevee?"

"You know as well a I do that wild Pokemon are rather difficult to come by," Petal Dance said. "Besides, by taking your Eevee, you're no longer as able to cause trouble for any of my fellow members."

It didn't take long for Kyle to consider. "Yeah, sorry. Can't give it to you."

Petal Dance shrugged. "Then I guess we'll have to take it by force."

"Try," Adrien said. Chu let off a few sparks.

"Yeah, its eight against seven," Jordan said. "Or four against two. Whichever you'd prefer."

Petal dance grinned and reached into his coat pocket. He took out a Dominance ball and opened it. A rather large Pokemon was released onto the ground. A Venusaur.

Kyle felt his mouth grow a little dry. Venusaur was a powerful Pokemon to have at your disposal. Not only that, but its level of evolution suggested that it was a much higher level than any of the Pokemon Kyle and his friends had.

"Let's sweep them all," Petal Dance told his friends. Aerial Ace and Dig readied themselves and their Pokemon.

"Still four against three," Jordan muttered.

Kyle turned back to his friends. "How do you guys want to do this?" He asked.

"Right," Jordan said, rubbing his palms together. "I want the bird."

Kyle turned toward him. "What? You'd be at a disadvantage. It'd be better if Adrien took Swellow. Electric is strong against Flying, while Fighting is weak against it."

"Well, it's not any fun if I don't have a disadvantage, now is it?" Jordan said. He turned to Adrien. "Am I wrong?"

Adrien shook his head sideways.

"There, that settles it then," Jordan said. "Besides, I want to get her back for landing that hit on Fireball."

"This is Eve we're talking about!" Kyle exclaimed. "You're talking about having fun?"

"Pft, relax, I'm sure we can take them," Jordan said with a wave of his hand. "We're pretty good at this too, you know."

"I can take the Sandshrew," Carol offered. Kyle, Adrien, and Jordan all turned to face her. "Since it's supposed to evolve into Sandslash around level twenty-two, it's probably their weakest," she explained. "Since Scarf is our weakest, it seems appropriate."

Kyle narrowed his eyes. Carol had been trying to hinder them earlier, so he was a little reluctant to trust her.

"Don't worry," Carol said as if she were reading his thoughts. "I won't be letting you guys commit suicide, but I definitely won't let anybody steal Eve away from you."

Kyle nodded. "Fair enough." He turned back around to face the four members of Team Dominion. Adrien stepped up beside Kyle.

"You and I will team up on this one," he said, indicating Venusaur. Petal Dance had his arms crossed as he waited expectantly.

"Sure," Kyle said. He'd never teamed up with anyone in a battle before, but he was sure it would be an interesting experience.

The trainers readied themselves. The Pokemon-less girl stood off to the side, her desire still apparent.

The trainers called their attacks out in unison.

* * *

This was one of the most exciting moments Adrien had ever experienced in his life.

The thrill of battle was something that had taken its hold on him ever since his first Pokemon battle. It had, for once, made him forget all about his head case. His mind had been clear of all pain and darkness. It had been perfect.

Battling was more than his hobby. It was his escape. He loved it more than many other things he knew, and he could barely get enough of it. It was even better when he was fighting a particularly strong opponent, something that was hard for him to come by.

This Venusaur was one such thing. It was probably more powerful than any other Pokemon he had encountered before. And he would've liked to have the opportunity to fight it one-on-one, but fighting as a team was more than tolerable. Fighting with Kyle at his side reminded Adrien that he now had people he could rely on, people he could trust. It was, in a way, better than fighting one-on-one.

Not only that, but he and Kyle made an outstanding team, even though it was their first time working together like this. Since they had been hanging out with each other for a good portion of time, they knew each other's preferences and battle style. They could merge their battling styles to make a strong combo, which was exactly what they were doing.

Venusaur was immensely powerful compared to their Pokemon. To compensate for this, Adrien and Kyle placed disadvantages on the grass-poison hybrid. Chu used Thunder Wave to paralyze Venusaur and Eve used Sand Attack in the hopes of making the Venusaur unable to see well. The paralysis condition allowed Chu to pull off a fast move like Quick Attack with little risk. Eve, on the other hand, could attack from a distance with Judgment or Sand Attack.

"Quick Attack," Adrien called for the third time. Chu darted towards Venusaur and slammed into it with its body, causing the larger Pokemon to stagger a bit. Venusaur looked like it wanted to move, then stopped, wincing. It was only because of this small hindrance that Chu was able to get away before a vine sprouted from Venusaur's back and struck the ground where the Pikachu had been only moments before.

Adrien was making a list in his head of the moves Venusaur knew. So far, he knew two for sure. One of them, Petal Dance, was a given, even though it hadn't been used yet. The other was Take Down. Venusaur had tried hitting Eve with it earlier only to miss, most likely because of the dirt in its eyes. Adrien wasn't sure about the third. He had thought it was Vine Whip at first, but he was starting to think it was something else. Vine Whip didn't have as much power as what Venusaur was doing. As for the fourth move, Adrien didn't have a clue as to what it was.

Adrien looked around to see how Jordan and Carol were doing. They had spread out across the park after their battles had started. This made it so that there was no room to help a teammate if something went wrong in someone else's battle. It was both a benefit and a deficit for both sides.

The battles of the others seemed fairly even, for now, so Adrien turned back to his own.

White beams of light struck Venusaur's side, causing it to slide along the ground as it struggled to stay standing. It had taken a lot of damage since the beginning of the fight, yet it didn't seem like it was affected at all. Such was the strength of a fully evolved Pokemon. Adrien hoped Chu would be like that someday.

"You guys must think you have it in the bag," Petal Dance said. He hadn't look concerned at any point in the fight. Not when Eve used Judgment, nor when Chu used Thunder Wave to paralyze it. "You're wrong."

"Yeah?" Kyle asked. "Well, maybe if you actually managed to hit an attack you'd give us a reason not to think that."

Petal Dance grinned. "Very well," he said. "Olsen! Petal Dance!"

Venusaur let out a deep roar as leaves and petals began to shoot from its back in every direction, most of them heading straight for Eve and Chu.

A Pikachu was a fast Pokemon, and so Adrien wasn't surprised when it managed to avoid most of the petals that flew its way. Of course, there were a few here and there that struck it, but they wouldn't do much depending on how long the flurry would last.

While Eve was quick, it wasn't as fast as a Pikachu. Therefore, it was hit by many more leaves and petals than Chu was as it tried to dodge. However, it should still manage to stay conscious until the move was over.

Eve and Chu couldn't take the time to attack. Doing so would be a free hit for Petal Dance and his Venusaur. It was a dodging game until the move ran its course.

* * *

_Woah. That's a lot of leaves and petals._

Jordan and Fireball were locked into battle with Wing Attack and her Swellow.

_No, wait. That's not right. Was it Aerial Ace? Yeah, I think that was it. Such a stupid naming system._

The two Pokemon were almost identical in power, skill, and experience, it seemed. This made it so that Fireball ultimately had the poorer odds in this fight due to the type disadvantage.

Even more unfortunate was the move that Jordan's opponent was named for. She just wouldn't quit using it and no matter what it did, Fireball couldn't manage to dodge out of the way when Swellow used Aerial Ace. Blocking decreased the damage Fireball received, though not by much. They wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. Jordan needed a way to win.

"Flame Wheel!" Jordan ordered.

The flame at the end of Fireball's tail flared as fire enveloped the Monferno's body. It jumped forward and began to roll along the ground towards Swellow, who was hovering in the air, flapping its wings.

"Get out of the way!" Aerial Ace shouted.

Swellow tried to move out of Fireball's path, but every time it did the wheel of fire simply switched directions until it finally leaped into the air and hit Swellow directly on its side. Swellow cried out and fell to the ground. Some of the white feathers on its belly had turned black from being burnt slightly.

"Hit it again with Fury Swipes while it's down!" Jordan said.

Fireball wasted no time as all the flames except for the one on its tail were extinguished. Its claws glowed as it jumped towards the grounded Swellow, scratching at it furiously.

"Use Wing Attack and get out of there!" Aerial Ace said.

Swellow's left wing glowed before it smacked Fireball in an uppercut motion. Fireball was thrown into the air before it crashed back into the ground. Both Pokemon steadily returned to their feet, readying themselves.

"Mach Punch!" Jordan called out.

"Supersonic!" Aerial Ace countered.

Fireball moved toward Swellow, pulling its glowing fist back in preparation for its punch. Swellow began to emit sound waves from its body, causing Fireball to stop in its tracks.

"What?" Jordan exclaimed. He saw Aerial Ace smirk as the sound waves ceased. "Alright, just use Mach Punch again!"

Rather than running, Fireball stumbled forwards as it pulled its fist back this time. Jordan's eyes widened as Swellow easily moved out of the way and Fireball punched open air. The motion and momentum caused Fireball to fall to the ground. When it got up, Jordan managed to get a look at its face.

Fireball wore a strange expression. Its eyes seemed to be looking everywhere as if it were impossible to focus on any one thing. Its mouth was hanging open slightly.

"It's confused," Aerial Ace explained. "You've got no hope of winning now. Hell, you never did."

Jordan gritted his teeth.

* * *

_I would think that's pretty if I knew it wasn't causing Kyle and Adrien problems,_ Carol thought as she watched the storm of leaves and petals that Eve and Chu were struggling to deal with.

She turned back to her own battle. Though her opponent wasn't as strong as the ones the others were facing off against, it was certainly a difficult match. Dig really lived up to his name as Sandshrew continuously dug underneath the ground and popped out to deliver a quick attack, leaving only a tiny window for Scarf to counter.

Scarf didn't know any major attacks. Its best ones were Twister and Dragon Rage, which were both fairly decent, but as mentioned before, not too powerful. Dragon rage might be her best option, however. She had managed to sweep a few lower-level Pokemon with that move, as it always dealt forty damage, which was much more than most Pokemon can deliver at low levels. Still, it wouldn't be much against higher level Pokemon. It made Carol wonder why Kyle would want her to back him up while he was trying to take down Team Dominion.

What made Carol wonder even more was why all of them were so willing to go through with something like that. It was almost as if they all wanted to die. What were they going to do, anyway? What could they do?

Carol simply didn't want any of them to get hurt. She cared about Kyle and Adrien, and she had enjoyed hanging out with the new Jordan. She had let her emotions get the better of her when she had snapped at him earlier. She would do anything to make sure they wouldn't get killed.

Carol's focus returned to the battle as she saw Sandshrew come up from underground and attack before heading back down again. She took her thoughts away from the other matter to pay attention to the task at hand.

Carol simply needed a plan to stop Sandshrew from going underground. Scarf's other two moves could accomplish that, but it would need to be timed well. Carol needed to find where Sandshrew would sprout up next.

As Carol finished forming a plan in her head, she saw a small mountain of dirt rising behind Scarf.

"Scarf!" Carol shouted. "Wrap at six o'clock!"

Scaf turned on a dime and shot its tail/body out in front as Sandshrew appeared from underneath the ground. The Dratini caught Sandshrew where it was and wrapped its body around the ground-type.

Sandshrew struggled against Scarf's hold as it was squeezed tighter. Wrap dealt damage over time as the Pokemon used its long body to squeeze.

_Now, we just need to keep it there…_

"Poison Sting!" Dig ordered.

Sandshrew opened its mouth and sank its teeth into Scarf's body. This caused the dragon-type to loosen its hold on its opponent enough for Sandshrew to escape. As soon as it was free, it made its way back underground.

"Scarf! Are you alright?" Carol asked.

Scarf didn't look so good. Its eyes were droopy and it had sunk in posture. Sandshrew's attack had poisoned it.

Dig laughed. "Well, now I can just keep my distance and wait for your Dratini to faint from the poison. This battle has been won."

_No, not yet,_ Carol thought. There was more to her plan. Doing as much damage as she could with Wrap had only been the first part.

"Scarf, climb into the hole!" Carol said.

Scarf obliged, slowly moving its way towards the opening in the ground Sandshrew had made during its escape.

Dig laughed again. "You do realize I have an extreme advantage underground, don't you? Alright, well, I guess I'll just finish it. Go for it, Leo!"

Carol felt a tremor underneath the ground. _Wait for it._ Carol counted out a few seconds, hoping her plan would work.

"Now, Thunder Wave!" She called out.

Dig's smile faded. "Wait!" He shouted. "No!"

A tiny spark of electricity came from the hole Scarf had entered. A few moments later, a paralyzed Sandshrew was thrown from the hole. Scarf slid out soon afterward. It looked very worn out from the poison, but it still had enough energy left to finish the fight.

It was Carol's turn to smile. "Your confidence caused you to lose," she said. "Alright then, Scarf, wrap this up with Dragon Rage!"

A shockwave was released from Scarf's body. Sandshrew's petrified body shook as the wave made its impact.

* * *

Kyle was sweating. It had surprised him when he had first noticed it, mostly because it wasn't just sweaty palms. He could feel droplets running down his neck and collarbone. He supposed it was just from the tension of the battle.

Not only was he sweating, but his body was beginning to feel tired. This was also surprising to Kyle. It wasn't as if he were actually doing anything; Eve was doing all the real work. Kyle couldn't come up with an explanation as to why his muscles felt worn.

Kyle had noticed that Adrien was in a similar state, though he hadn't shown any signs of it as quickly as Kyle had.

Petal Dance had been in effect for a little while. Kyle figured it would be nearing the end of its course. Eve and Chu were holding up well, but they had still taken a lot of damage. Petal Dance was a powerful move on its own, not to mention the added strength of a superior Pokemon.

Still, they only had to hold out long enough until the move ended. Then, the Venusaur would become confused if, Kyle remembered correctly. They would have an easy time defeating it after that.

The leaves and petals stopped suddenly as Venusaur cringed. Volts of yellow electricity ran the length of its body for a moment. Eve and Chu stopped jumping around as they no longer needed to avoid any attacks.

"Now, use Bite!" Kyle said. Eve only ten uses of Judgment in between rests. Kyle didn't want to use them all up right away. It had already used the attack many times in this one battle.

"Quick Attack!" Adrien said.

The two Pokemon rushed towards Venusaur, Chu moving at twice the speed of Eve. Venusaur grunted as the Pikachu closed the distance between them and charged into its side. Chu then re-established the distance between them as it darted away.

Eve came up next and bit the Venusaur in the leg, causing the grass-poison hybrid to growl.

Kyle saw Petal Dance smile.

_What?_

"Sleep Powder!"

Kyle felt a pit form in his stomach. _Oh, shit._

A huge cloud of white powder burst from the plant on Venusaur's back and fell on top of Eve. The normal-type began to move sluggishly before stumbling and falling to the ground. Eve was fast asleep.

_How?_ Kyle thought. _Shouldn't it be confused?_ Then he realized. _The paralysis interrupted it while it was using Petal Dance! Since it didn't finish the move, it didn't become confused._

"You know, I have a theory," Petal Dance said as he removed a Dominance ball from his pocket. "The Dominance ball didn't just bounce off as a regular Poke ball would. It actually encased your Eevee for a few solid moments." He paused as he pulled his arm back, preparing to throw the Dominance ball. "That leads me to believe that while your Pokemon is registered to a Dominance ball, I can still catch it if it's weak enough." He threw the Dominance ball toward Eve.

Adrien reacted quickly. "Thunderbolt!" He shouted.

Chu charged itself off then shot a bolt of lightning at the Dominance ball, causing it to miss. It flew back towards Petal Dance and landed at his feet. He frowned and picked it up off the ground. He turned to Venusaur.

"Deal with that one," he ordered. "It's been annoying me this whole match."

Venusaur sprouted vines from its back and the dirt from its eyes with them. Then the girl who was standing of too the side rushed over and produced a spray bottle from the bag she was wearing. She sprayed it over Venusaur, and the sparks running over its body stopped. Petal Dance's Pokemon was no longer paralyzed.

"Use Thunder Wave again!" Adrien said.

Chu rushed over to get close enough to hit Venusaur with a weak jolt of electricity. Adrien was trying to paralyze it again.

The girl who had healed Venusaur of its status effect backed away as Vnusaur readied its vines.

"Power Whip!" Petal Dance shouted.

Though Chu was very fast, it was growing tired. It was barely able to avoid the first two strikes. The third hit it across its body with a resounding crack. Chu was thrown to the side from the force of the impact.

Chu struggled to stand. It began to slowly limp over to where Eve was.

"We're still in this," Adrien said. "Try Thunderbolt!"

Kyle knew from this that their situation had grown desperate. Electric-type attacks didn't do much to grass-types like Venusaur. However, it was the only ranged attack Chu had.

Chu released a streak of lightning at Venusaur, who barely showed any signs of pain at all from the attack.

"Now, let's try this again," Petal Dance said. He pulled his arm back to throw the Dominance ball again.

* * *

_Damn, damn, damn!_

Jordan's fight was not going well. Fireball was still confused, and Swellow was hitting it again and again. A few more attacks and it would be over. Not only that, but Jordan had noticed everything happening over where Adrien and Kyle's fight was taking place. They were in bad shape and needed help.

Jordan turned to look the other way where Carol's fight was taking place. She seemed to almost have things in the bag, but she was still finishing things up. She needed a little more time.

Carol turned to look at the Venusaur as well and noticed the rough situation. She turned to look at Jordan. The two of them needed to do something, or else Eve would be in the hands of these punks.

Carol nodded without any context to Jordan. It seemed to him that she had a plan in mind.

"Hold out for just a little bit longer!" She shouted over to him.

"Hey, your fight's over here!" Jordan heard Aerial Ace say.

Jordan turned back around to watch as Fireball was hit once more with Wing Attack. He clenched his fist.

"Fireball, try as best you can to hit it out of the air with Mach Punch!" He shouted.

Fireball's fist began to glow. Jordan exhaled. It could understand him through its confusion. That was one barrier down.

Swellow went in for another use of Aerial Ace. As soon as it was within arms reach of Fireball, the Monferno turned on the flying type and punched it in the neck. Unfortunately, Swellow's attack also hit Fireball. Both Pokemon fell to the ground.

Both trainers began encouraging their Pokemon to stand back up. Swellow rose first and lifted itself off the ground with its wings. Jordan frantically shouted at Fireball, telling him to get up fast.

"Use Wing Attack!" Aerial Ace commanded. "Finish it off!"

Swellow swooped in, left wing glowing. As it did, however, a tornado came from Jordan's right and knocked the bird Pokemon out of the air. Its wing stopped glowing as it fell onto a pile of snow.

Aerial Ace's eyes widened. "What?!"

Jordan turned and saw Carol's Dratini slithering over to his battle, Carol following close behind. Jordan examined her Pokemon's condition from a distance and decided that it was a wonder it could still fight. An unconscious Sandshrew was being tended to by its trainer.

"Thanks," Jordan said as Carol stopped next to him. He didn't like that he had needed help, but it had been required.

"Sure," Carol said. "Let's just win this so we can help them."

"Right," Jordan said. Then he raised his voice. "Mach Punch!"

"Twister!"

Carol's Dratini launched a powerful tornado at Swellow. It tore up grass, snow, and dirt from the ground and launched them in all directions.

"Move!" Aerial Ace screamed.

Swellow managed to fly a few feet off the ground and get out of the way of the Twister before it hit. The attack passed by the Pokemon harmlessly, though it did throw some snow into its face.

But Fireball was there before Swellow knew it. The debris from the Twister had distracted the flying-type. The Monferno, no longer confused, punched Swellow in the gut. The force of the punch sent Swellow flying straight into the Twister attack. The tornado cut at Swellow's wings and body and threw it to the ground. The bird Pokemon didn't get back up.

"Now go! Quickly!" Carol said.

"Right!" Jordan responded, turning towards the Venusaur that was around fifty feet away. "Flame Wheel! Now! Go, Fireball!"

Fireball wasted no time as it enveloped itself in its own flames and rushed towards Venusaur as Petal Dance was getting ready to throw the Dominance ball.

"You too, Scarf!" Carol shouted. "Don't let Eve get captured!"

Scarf moved into action as well, sliding to wear Eve lay asleep on the ground.

Petal Dance's eyes widened as he saw the two Pokemon rushing over. "No!" he shouted as he threw the Dominance ball at Eve.

Fireball made it first, barreling into Venusaur's side. The massive Pokemon let out a groan as it was thrown onto its back, knocked unconscious by the super-effective attack. Venusaur was defeated.

Scarf followed shortly after, going as fast its poisoned body allowed. As soon as it reached Eve's sleeping form, it wrapped its body around Eve's own and yanked it out of the way moments before the Dominance ball hit the grass where Kyle's Pokemon had just been.

Carol dropped to her knees while Jordan and Kyle let out sighs of relief.


	19. Eyes Of Violence

**Eyes Of Violence**

* * *

_This...darkness…_

_This...violence…_

_No._

_It cannot be._

_It should be sealed away!_

* * *

Kyle scooped up his sleeping Eevee into his arms. Fireball stayed in between him and the four members of Team Dominion, standing in a protective stance.

"Get out of here," Kyle growled. "All of you. Go."

Petal Dance returned his Venusaur to its Dominance ball, his anger and frustration at his loss apparent. He shoved his Dominance ball back into his pocket.

"It doesn't matter," Petal Dance said. "I'm making a post about you. You're going to get kicked from Team Dominion."

Kyle gritted his teeth. They had won the battle, but there was nothing he could do about Petal Dance reporting him.

"I could beat him down, if you wanted," Jordan said quietly as he stepped over to Kyle. "Give him an incentive to keep his mouth shut."

Kyle shook his head. "It's not like it would do much. It would only cause problems for us."

"All right, sure," Jordan said reluctantly.

Kyle and Jordan both turned at the sound of a whining girl. The one who hadn't been a part of the battle was tugging on Petal Dance's coat sleeve.

"Come on!" She pouted. "You promised me you'd get that Eevee for me!"

"Forget it, Megan!" Petal Dance said, tearing his arm out of her grasp. "Come on, let's go. We lost. That's the end of it."

"Well, can you at least promise to find me one tomorrow?" Megan asked.

"If you promise to shut up!"

With that, the four members of Team Dominion left in silence. Carol stepped up beside Kyle and Jordan.

"Man, that girl was creeping me out that whole time with her face," she said. "She seems annoying as hell. He was probably just trying to catch a Pokemon for her so she'd get off his back."

"Doesn't really matter to me what his motive is or was," Kyle said. "If he wants to steal someone else's Pokemon, he'd better be expecting a fight."

Jordan raised his eyebrows. "Someone's talking tough. Did you forget that you would've lost if not for us?"

"He's got a point," Carol said putting a finger to Kyle's chest. "You kinda owe us."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kyle said, looking away. _They're right. Eve would be their's if it wasn't for both of them._ "Thank you," he said quietly.

Carol smiled. "Of course."

In that moment, Kyle forgot about everything Carol had said or done in response to Kyle's plan to Team Dominion. Her smile wiped those memories from his mind. All he could think about was her face.

_Damn, she's pretty._

"Hey, guys?" Jordan said, grabbing their attention.

Kyle and Carol both turned. "What?" They asked in unison. Jordan was looking at Adrien, who Kyle and Carol were noticing for the first time since the battle was over.

_What the-_

He hadn't moved at all since he had returned his Pikachu to its Poke ball. He was still kneeling on the ground. He was knee was placed on a pile of snow that was soaking its way into the front of his jeans. His arm was still in front of him, Poke ball in hand. His expression was completely blank. It seemed eerie to Kyle.

"Hey, are you alright, Adrien?" he asked.

* * *

_I lost._

_I really lost._

_I failed._

* * *

"Has he ever been like this before?" Carol asked Jordan.

Jordan shrugged. "I've definitely never seen him act like this. You guys?"

Kyle shook his head. "No. This is new for me, too." He waved his hand in front of Adrien's face. "Hello? Adrien?"

* * *

_He beat me._

_I couldn't do anything._

_Anything at all._

* * *

"Maybe he's just upset that his Pikachu was defeated," Jordan offered.

"That's right," Kyle said. "This would be the first time he's ever lost a match."

"But he didn't lose," Carol insisted. "We won, didn't we? We prevented them from taking Kyle's Eevee."

"I'd say it's based on perspective," Jordan said. "I definitely think that this counts as a loss for him. Venusaur definitely beat his Pikachu."

* * *

_You lost._

* * *

"Still, don't you think he's overreacting a bit?" Kyle asked. He put a hand on Adrien's shoulder and shook him a little. "Hey, c'mon."

* * *

_You lost._

_**You lost.**_

_**YOU LOST.**_

* * *

"Woah," Kyle said. He put a hand to his head as it began to throb.

"What is it?" Carol asked.

"Only a little headache," Kyle said. "It just hit me suddenly, that's all."

Jordan pointed to the back of Adrien's neck. "Do you see that? He's sweating like crazy."

Kyle looked where Jordan was indicating and found that he wasn't wrong. Adrien's neck was practically drenched in sweat. Not only that, but Kyle also noticed that Adrien's hands and arms were trembling. In fact, he also noticed that his friend's entire body was shaking, rather than being still as Kyle was used to.

"Uh, guys?" Carol asked. Both boys turned towards her. While the two of them were facing Adrien's side, she was in front of him, crouched down so she could examine his face.

"Look at his eyes," she said.

* * *

**_I SWORE NEVER TO LOSE AGAIN._**

**_NEVER._**

* * *

Kyle winced again from his headache and slowly moved to where Carol was standing. He crouched so he could get a good look at Adrien's face. He was nervous at what he would find. He had every reason to be. Adrien's irises were normally blue.

However, the irises Kyle was looking at were dark red.

* * *

**_NOT TO IT OR ANYONE ELSE._**

**_I SWORE._**

**_I CAN'T LOSE NOW._**

* * *

Adrien's glazed-over eyes moved suddenly. They pointed themselves at Kyle, who jumped back a little in surprise. Carol backed away as well, but Jordan stayed where he was.

Adrien straightened and moved his eyes off of Kyle. He was now looking at something in the distance behind Kyle. Kyle turned to follow his gaze and saw Petal Dance and his friends still walking away. He turned back to Adrien, who was moving his mouth. Kyle narrowed his eyes, confused.

It struck Kyle that Adrien was muttering something under his breath. He listened, trying to make out the words.

* * *

_**KILL HIM, KILL HIM.**_

_**IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN WIN, NOW.**_

* * *

"Kill him, kill him."

Kyle's eyes widened as soon as he heard what Adrien was whispering.

"Hey, Adrien," Kyle said. When Adrien didn't turn to face him, he continued on anyway. "This isn't funny. Cut it out. You lost. Just deal with it."

Adrien didn't seem to hear him. He was too focused on Petal Dance. Then he smiled, and that was when Kyle knew he'd never seen anything more unsettling in his life. His smile wasn't the type you'd see on a sane person's face. It was creepy and discomforting.

"Kill, kill…"

Adrien took a step forward. That was when Jordan took hold of his arm, stopping him. Adrien didn't take any notice at all. He simply tried to keep walking while Jordan tried to hold him in place.

"Kill, kill…"

Jordan was straining as Adrien pulled harder and harder. He was required to plant his feet into the ground as well as to wrap his other arm around Adrien's abdomen.

"Are you guys just going to keep standing there, or are you going to help?" Jordan asked. "In case you didn't notice, I'm struggling here!"

"Right," Kyle said, snapping out of his stupor. He rushed over and grabbed Adrien's left arm while Carol took hold of his right arm, the one that was still holding onto the Poke ball. Jordan used both of his arms to hold Adrien back by the midsection. The three of them strained to hold their friend back.

_He's actually able to keep moving forward,_ Kyle noticed. _How strong is he? I didn't take him for someone who had this much muscle._

Adrien began to increase his effort in escaping the grasp of his three friends. He had begun to flail his arms as much as Kyle and Carol's grips allowed. He was also kicking behind him at Jordan's legs. He was shouting.

"Kill! Kill!"

Adrien suddenly caught Carol unaware and yanked his arm out of her grip. He used his now freed arm to hit her across the face with the Poke ball in his hand, knocking her to the ground.

"Carol!" Kyle shouted. Then his headache began to hurt more. He tried to keep his hold on Adrien while pressing his other hand against his head. He gritted his teeth against the pain.

Adrien raised his arm into the air before throwing the Poke ball out in front of him. The ball bounced once against the ground and popped open. Chu materialized in the space directly in front of the capsule.

"Go!" Adrien shouted. "Kill him! Kill him!"

Adrien's Pokemon had nearly faded into unconsciousness by the time it had been returned to its Poke ball earlier, but now it looked as if it had received a full night of rest in the two minutes it had been inside its container.

Chu didn't turn around to look at its trainer. It didn't seem to notice anything wrong with the order it had been given. It didn't seem to remember that Pokemon aren't proficient in killing humans. It didn't hesitate for even a second. It began sprinting towards Petal Dance and his group.

_His Pokemon's gone insane, too?_ Kyle thought. _Or is it just that loyal?_

"Do something, Kyle!" Jordan said. "I can hold him for a little while!"

"Right!" Kyle said. Working on instinct, he reached into his pocket and brought out Eve's Dominance ball. He threw it towards the running Pikachu. The ball made it about seventy feet before hitting the ground and opening.

_Wait!_ Kyle thought, panicking. _Is it still asleep?_

It seemed that Kyle's worries held little relevance. Eve was wide awake when it materialized on the ground. Kyle let out a small sigh of relief, though he knew his troubles were hardly over.

"Eve! I need you to use Judgment on Chu! Quickly!"

There was no way Eve was going to catch up to Chu, who was the fastest Pokemon Kyle knew, with their difference in speed. The only move Kyle could hope would have some effect would be Judgment.

Like Chu, Eve didn't react to the strange command. Beams of light shot from Eve towards Chu, moving slightly faster than the electric type. They caught up momentarily and struck the Pikachu. It didn't even try to dodge for some reason. It simply took the hit and was knocked aside by the impact.

Chu then did something Kyle didn't expect: it rose back to its feet.

_It should be unconscious from that hit after all the damage it took from Venusaur!_ Kyle thought. What is this?

"Hit it again, Eve!" Kyle shouted. Eve obliged, and Chu was hit again and again, but the hits only seemed to be slowing it down. Kyle turned back to Jordan. "Something's wrong!" He exclaimed. "It shouldn't be able to tank this many hits without fainting!"

Jordan grimaced. "Tell it to stop, Adrien."

Adrien didn't respond. He only kept his eyes focused forward on his Pokemon and Petal Dance's back.

"Adrien!" Jordan shouted in his friend's ear. "Stop this! It's gone far enough! Tell your Pikachu to come back!"

Adrien again refused to respond. This time, instead of shouting again, Jordan moved his arms from Adrien's torso and instead placed them around his neck in a choke hold. Adrien's chin was pressed against Jordan's inner elbow. They struggled for a bit, at one point, Jordan almost lost his balance and fell, but he eventually caused Adrien to pass out.

"What are you doing?" Carol demanded, holding a hand to where Adrien had hit her on the face. "Why would you just sock him like that in the middle of the park? People are watching, you know!"

Kyle looked around. Sure enough, they were attracting the attention of a few groups scattered around the park. They hadn't been very interested in the Pokemon battle, but it seemed like they were interested now. _Figures. It seems like we've put on a few shows for them in the past week or so._

Jordan was breathing hard. He ignored Carol's question as he stood and turned towards where Pikachu had run off to. "Son of a bitch," he said as he plopped down into a sitting position. "Your Eevee did it."

Kyle and Carol both turned and saw that Chu was no longer running. Instead, it was lying on the ground, unmoving. Eve was standing next to it and prodding it with one of its front legs. It looked concerned for its friend's condition.

"That's a bit of a relief," Kyle commented. Then he noticed something. Hey. He put a hand on his forehead. _My headache is gone._

"I'm confused," Carol said. "Why were you guys worried about that? It's not like a Pokemon could actually kill someone."

There was a pause. Then Kyle said, "I'm not quite sure. It's like I knew that it couldn't do anything, but it really felt like it could."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too," Jordan said. "With all that was going on, I was convinced that Adrien's Pikachu was going to kill someone." He shrugged. "I guess I just wanted to play it safe."

The three were silent for a time as they all sat down to recover from what just happened.

"He isn't waking up," Jordan said.

"Is that normal?" Kyle asked.

Jordan shook his head sideways. "No. He should've regained consciousness after a couple seconds." He put a finger up to Adrien's neck. "He's still alive, at least."

"You weren't sure that you hadn't killed him?" Carol asked incredulously.

"I was a bit stressed out," Jordan said. "I could've held the choke longer than intended."

"We should probably just leave," Kyle said. "We can just carry him until he wakes up."

Jordan tried to lift Adrien's limp body. Kyle went over to help get the unconscious boy on Jordan's back. Jordan leaned over to balance his friend on his back and started walking. Kyle took Adrien's Poke ball and went over to return both Eve and Chu. When he was done, he joined back up with Carol and Jordan.

Many minutes passed without anyone speaking. They left the park and began walking down the streets of the neighborhood with no particular destination in mind.

"So," Carol said, "Are we going to talk about him going insane?"

Kyle turned to Jordan. "Are you sure he hasn't acted anything like that before? Nothing at all comes to mind?"

Jordan shook his head. "No. Adrien's never really been the violent type, either. He's pretty against it, actually. Between humans, anyway. That whole encounter was completely surprising to me."

"He has a bit of a head case though, doesn't he?" Carol asked slowly.

Jordan raised his eyebrows. "What makes you think that?"

"Well," Carol said, considering. "I guess it's just a feeling."

Jordan sighed. "Yeah, he's a bit messed up in the head sometimes. But not in the way that you're thinking," he assured. "He's not going to snap and become some psychopathic killer."

"Really?" Kyle asked. "Because it seems like that's exactly what he was doing."

"It was something different," Jordan insisted.

"How do you know?"

"Because his eyes freaking _changed color,_" Jordan said.

Kyle paused. He had forgotten about that. Changing eye color didn't definitely wasn't something normal, much less a symptom of snapping into insanity.

"I have absolutely no idea what that was," Jordan said. "I don't really feel like thinking about it right now, either. I'm sure he'll be back to normal by the time he wakes up."

Kyle obliged, deciding not to say anything else about the matter, even though he wanted to say a lot more.

"Another thing," Carol said. "If he doesn't remember anything, should we tell him about it?"

Kyle furrowed his eyebrows. "Why wouldn't we?"

"Well, I mean, it might trigger something," Carol said. "I don't know."

"It'll probably be easier on his conscious if we kept it from him, too," Jordan said. "I'm with Carol. We shouldn't tell him if he doesn't remember."

"Hey, I never said we shouldn't tell him," Carol said defensively. "I just asked the question."

Jordan raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying we should tell him, then?"

Carol sighed and looked away. "No," she said after a moment. "We shouldn't tell him."

Jordan nodded and turned to Kyle. "What about you?"

It seemed to Kyle that Adrien should know the full story of what happened, but it was two against one, and both of them had provided some fair points.

"I guess we won't be telling him anything," Kyle said.

"Alright, cool," Jordan said. "Now all we need is a place where he can lie down and rest. If he's staying asleep this long, he'll probably be out for a while."

"We can take him to my house," Kyle offered. "I can show you how our Pokemon are going to get stronger for our invasion of Team Dominion."

"Oh my lord," Carol said. "You guys still want to do that? Aren't you getting shut down in a way by Petal Dance?"

Kyle and Jordan both turned to face Carol.

"I mean, we can still hope for the best," Kyle said.

"We'll find a way," Jordan said.

Carol sighed.

"Speaking of which," Jordan said, "We never got an answer from you. Are you joining us or not?"

Carol made eye contact with Kyle while he studied her face. He could tell she wanted to say no.

"Here, just let me show you what I have," Kyle said. "Then you can decide whether or not you want to help us. Sound fair?"

Carol sighed again. "Alright, sure."

Jordan turned to Kyle. "So, where's your house?"

* * *

The three of them in Kyle's living room around a half-hour later. Adrien took up half of the only couch while he slept. Carol had removed his jacket and shoes while Kyle had placed one of the blankets in his house over him.

Kyle went upstairs to his room and grabbed the package he had received a few days prior. He had kept it in a drawer in his desk along with the leaf note. He took the bundle downstairs to his friends.

When he came back to the living room, Carol was sitting on the rest of the couch while Jordan was laying back on the floor rug. Both of their Pokemon were out of their balls and were sleeping next to their respective trainers. Carol was treating hers with an antidote Kyle had offered her.

Jordan looked up as Kyle walked into the room. "Alright then," he said, sitting up. "What are these supplies you were talking about?"

Kyle placed a plastic bag on the floor in front of Jordan. He had placed the candies into two bags as soon as he had received them. One of them contained the white ones, while the other contained the dark gray ones. Kyle held the other bag in one of his hands.

Jordan and Carol both leaned forward to look at what Kyle was presenting to them. Jordan picked up the bag and glanced at the candies. "What are these supposed to be?" He asked.

Kyle smiled. "I want you to examine them closely, first," he said. "But don't open the bag."

"Okay…" Jordan said as he turned his attention back to the candies. Then he raised his eyebrows. "Hey," he said. "Something's moving in there."

"What?" Carol asked curiously. "Really?" She held out her hand. Jordan looked at the candies for a few more moments before handing the bag to her.

"You're right," Carol said, surprised. She looked at Kyle and held up the bag. "What are these?"

Kyle held out the leaf note. "Here," he said. "Read this. It explains."

Carol took the note and Jordan stood up to read over her shoulder. The first thing both of them said was about how the letters were glowing.

"I was weirded out by that also," Kyle said when they asked him about it. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Silence fell as Carol and Jordan continued to read. Kyle noticed Carol widen her eyes and Jordan raise his eyebrows a few times. Otherwise, they were silent the whole time as they read. When they were both finished, Carol set down the leaf on the couch.

"First of all," Jordan said, "I'd like to confirm that you're being serious. This isn't a joke or anything? This note is telling the truth?"

"To be fair, I haven't tried the candies," Kyle admitted. "So I can't be absolutely certain that they work. But I have a good feeling."

Jordan nodded. "Where's the other set? The note mentioned four darker ones."

"Right here." Kyle held out the other bag. Jordan took it and looked it over.

"Yeah," he said. "These have something moving inside of them, too."

"This is from the thing you told me about," Carol said, openly exited. "The one from the street during the second Arceus."

Kyle nodded.

"And it just… sent you these?"

"Yeah. Using a Talonflame. It almost broke my window."

Jordan snorted.

"So this is why you're so sure of yourself," Carol said.

"Well, I was still pretty motivated before whatever that thing is decided to give me these things," Kyle said. "But yeah."

"'Whatever that thing is?'" Jordan asked. "Kyle, that thing literally called your Eevee its 'child,' included us in its letter, got another Pokemon to give it to you, and mentioned how it descended from the sky through the Arceus. I don't want to set anything in stone, but I'm pretty sure the literal god of Pokemon is trying to communicate with you."

Kyle chuckled. He had thought about what Jordan was saying before, but it had never really hit him hard. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so?" Carol asked, her jaw dropping. "That's all you can say when you have something like this? Do you know how much the CPP would give you for this?"

Kyle paused. He hadn't thought of that. But if he gave them to the CPP now, he couldn't bring down Team Dominion, and if he took down Team Dominion, he'd get paid anyway. It was a win-win.

"I'll still get money for getting rid of Team Dominion," Kyle said. "And I can always just give them the note when we're finished with that."

Carol sighed.

"I'd also like to point out that it recommended me because it thinks I'm powerful," Jordan said proudly. "So I'd like some respect now and in the future."

Kyle laughed. "Hey, don't forget that it sent _me_ the note."

Jordan waved his hand. "Details, details," then he gave a playful smirk to Kyle, who returned it.

"Alright," Carol said.

Kyle turned towards her. "Alright…?"

"Alright, I'll help you," Carol clarified.

Kyle's spirits rose instantly. "Really? You changed your mind?"

"Yeah," she said as she waved the leaf note in the air. "The glowing letters are enough for me to believe this is really important. I also wouldn't want to work against the," she made a gesture in Jordan's direction, "god of Pokemon."

Kyle grinned.

"But don't you dare take this for granted!" Carol said suddenly, pointing at Kyle. "You owe me big after it's all over."

Kyle held up his hands in defense. "Alright, alright," he said, chuckling.

Jordan looked between the two of them, then shook his head.

"What?" Kyle demanded when he noticed.

"Nothing," Jordan said, waving him off. "Anyway, I have a feeling that this is going to be really, really fun."

"So long as that piece of crap's report doesn't hurt us."


	20. Desperation Blinds

**Desperation Blinds**

* * *

_The violence has been ceased...for now._

_This is unfavorable._

_And who would've known?_

_It was a close friend of the boy who owns the anomaly._

* * *

Adrien opened his eyes.

He then decided that he was tired and in pain and wanted to slip back into unconsciousness.

"Hey, he's awake!" A female voice said.

_Dammit. No chance of going back to sleep now._

Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes. He blinked and looked around.

Then he immediately began to feel dizzy. He closed his eyes again and fell back down onto the cushions he was on.

_Ow._

"Take it easy," another voice said. "You hit your head pretty hard."

_Head? _Adrien thought. _I don't feel any pain on the exterior of my head… just the usual pain, plus the dizziness and nausea._

Slowly, Adrien opened his eyes again. Instead of sitting up this time, he simply looked around from where his head lay on his pillow.

_Wait. Where am I?_

Adrien was in a place he had never been before, lying on a couch he had never sat on. A TV was playing a comedy Adrien was a little familiar with. He was definitely in someone's living room, he could tell that much. He looked at where the voices had come from.

Jordan, Kyle, and Carol were on the floor of the room with their eyes on him. It made him feel only a little uncomfortable; he was getting slightly more used to the attention as time went on.

Carol was the one who had spoken first. He assumed Jordan had been the second. Jordan had clearly been watching TV before Carol had taken note of Adrien's consciousness. Kyle and Carol were sitting across from each other on the floor with a chessboard in between them. Kyle was winning.

Adrien tried to speak only to find that it was much harder than he was used to. "Hey," he managed to rasp. "What's happening?"

Carol chuckled. "You've been asleep for a little while. How do you feel?"

Adrien silently examined himself without moving. The dizziness in his head and hoarseness of his throat was there. There didn't seem to be anything else wrong with him besides the usual things.

"Fine," he said. Then he asked again, "What happened?"

"Do you remember anything?" Kyle asked.

Adrien racked his brain. He remembered Kyle saying he wanted to try and take down Team Dominion. He remembered how exciting it had sounded and how much he had wanted to do it with him. He remembered the Sandshrew and the kid who called himself Petal Dance.

_That's something else I was thinking about. Why do the members of Team Dominion we've met so far consist only of kids around our age? Strange._

"Well?" Jordan asked.

"I remember everything up to the battle," Adrien said slowly, as he was still having trouble speaking. "But I don't remember how it ended. Did we win?"

Carol smiled. "Yeah, we won. Kyle still has his Eevee. Those other guys left soon after all of their Pokemon fainted."

Adrien nodded. "That's good." But there was something missing. Something else had definitely happened, but Adrien couldn't remember the details of what it was or how he had felt about it.

"Do you remember anything else?" Carol asked. "Anything at all?"

Adrien shook his head. "So what actually happened?"

"Like I said, you fell and hit your head," Jordan explained. "Slipped on a curb. Head hit the asphalt. You were out for only a little while though. Maybe an hour."

_But again, I don't feel any pain on my skull,_ Adrien thought. _It's all in my throat. Are they lying to me? Why would they…_

Adrien thought of something that did not please him. _Wait. No, no. _His body suddenly felt cold despite the blanket covering him. _Did I try to hang myself? There's no way. I couldn't have been that far in darkness. But what else could it have been? _Adrien thought hard about what could've made his neck so sore but couldn't come up with anything besides his original theory.

_They wouldn't tell me about it because they might think it'll trigger something, _Adrien thought. _That's why they're lying to me. _

Adrien's head began to throb. Not the skull, but the brain. It was similar to how it felt when his usual headache spiked. He decided to stop thinking about it. He didn't feel like questioning his friends, either. He was afraid of finding out the truth. If he had tried to kill himself, there must've been an important reason. He didn't want to know what it had been.

He started to feel embarrassment and shame as well. His friends had seen him at such a low point. He had hoped to never let someone see him in a truly vulnerable state. Now they all knew how he really felt inside.

_Whatever, _he thought. There wasn't much he could do about it now. It was best to simply carry on.

"Where's my jacket?" Adrien asked when he noticed he wasn't wearing it.

"On the floor, next to you," Carol said. "Along with your Poke ball and shoes."

Adrien removed his arm from underneath the blanket and reached down the couch to the floor, feeling around with his hand. When he detected the fabric of his jacket, he rummaged around the bundle until his fingers made contact with cool metal. He grabbed his Poke ball and pressed his thumb twice against the button. The capsule opened, and Chu materialized on the couch next to Adrien's feet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Kyle tense. He didn't know why. He didn't care, either, at the moment.

Chu looked at Adrien with worried eyes. Adrien had figured out that, somehow, Chu simply _knew_ how its trainer was feeling at any given time. It must've been able to feel the pain in his throat and his worry on the subject of his potential suicide attempt. The Pokemon moved closer to Adrien, who patted it on the head.

Something else caught Adrien's eye. "Hey," he said, pointing. "What are those?"

Kyle followed his gaze to the pair of plastic bags containing what looked like marbles. What was interesting to Adrien was that he noticed what seemed to be clouds of smoke moving inside of them. Four of them held white smoke while four more contained dark smoke.

"Oh, these," Kyle said, grinning. His hand moved to something next to the bags Adrien had been talking about: a leaf.

_I meant the bags, not the leaf, _Adrien thought, slightly disappointed.

Kyle held the leaf out to Adrien. "Read this," he said.

_Read it? _Adrien thought. _There's writing on it? _

Adrien took the leaf. His dizziness had faded, so he tried sitting up again. He waited for a moment, then was satisfied when the wave of nausea was absent. Chu moved onto his lap. He held the leaf in front of him and discovered that there was, in fact, writing on it. Nor just that, but the letters glowed white slightly.

_That's pretty cool. Wonder how it works._

Adrien propped his arm on Chu's back as it laid down and read over the letter silently. When he realized who had written it, his interest expanded tremendously. He leaned forward as he continued to read. When he reached the section that described the candies, he realized why Kyle had shown him the leaf.

_This is what we're going to use to take down Team Dominion. It's the perfect tool for the situation. I can't wait to see how much stronger Chu will become when it consumes one of them._

Of course, Adrien knew that he'd have to use a dark candy when everything was over. His battles here wouldn't be as fun with all of the extra power.

_It's also impressive that it knows English,_ Adrien thought. _It's probably not its usual method of communication, whatever that might be, but it shows he's keeping tabs with the people down here. Come to think of it, it's probably watching us now. _

Adrien felt himself grow a little uneasy. _That doesn't sit well with me._

"So, what do you think?" Kyle asked, interrupting Adrien's thoughts.

Adrien blinked and looked at Kyle. His face was hopeful, but it seemed like he was also uncertain. Why was that? It wasn't as if Adrien had displayed any intentions of disagreeing with Kyle's idea.

"I mean, I already said I'd go," Adrien said. "This note didn't make any difference. Neither did the candies." He made a gesture with his hand, moving it in a circle to indicate everyone in the room. "Are all of us doing it? Carol?" He turned to the only girl in the room. She had seemed a bit against the idea when it had been brought up.

The Dratini trainer nodded. "Yup. I'll be helping, too."

Adrien nodded. _That's nice. It'll be good to have the whole group coming along. _As Adrien was just about to turn away, however, he noticed something on Carol's face as his vision began to clear.

"Are you okay, Carol?" Adrien asked without bothering to specify what he was talking about. He wanted to see what Carol would do.

"Oh, this?" Carol put a hand to her head at the space just above her right eyebrow, where a considerable bruise was forming. She smiled to hide a wince. "You're not the only one who was hit in the head. A couple of kids were playing catch with a baseball. One of them must've sucked. They hit me right in the forehead." She said the words carefully, as if they had been scripted.

_Now, what reason would she have to lie about _that? Adrien wondered. The other lies hadn't bothered him, but this one was annoying.

"You're lying," Adrien said to Carol. His voice didn't hold a drop of emotion or accusation. He hadn't intended i to. It was a clear, plain fact.

Carol's smile faded and her cheerful expression changed to a nervous one. Adrien noticed Kyle and Jordan begin to look uneasy as well, though it was harder to notice it from the latter.

The room was quiet for a few moments. Adrien threw the blanket off himself and moved his legs over the side of the couch.

"So, are you going to tell me what actually happened?" He asked.

Kyle and Carol exchanged glances. Jordan looked down with a serious expression on his face. Adrien looked at them all with calm expectancy. When nobody spoke up, he sighed.

"If it's that important to you guys to keep it a secret, I guess I won't push." He didn't like making people respect his wishes against their preference.

Everyone visibly relaxed, which bothered Adrien a little more. He had made an inference before, but now it was certain that they were hiding things from him.

"So, when do we start?" Jordan asked after a while. "With the whole Team Dominion thing."

Kyle shrugged. "It's not really up to me. We just have to wait and see how things go. It all depends on that report."

"Report?" Adrien asked. He vaguely remembered something about a report, but not completely.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. Petal Dance said he was going to make a post that exposed me as a rat."

"It might just ruin the whole thing," Jordan said.

"Yeah, maybe," Kyle said. Adrien could sense the discouragement in his voice. "We just have to hope for the best."

* * *

Leader was bored. Again.

He hadn't heard anything from Judgment in a little while, and he'd gone a little past impatience already. Not wanting to miss anything that came up, he hadn't left his room since Judgment had caught his Pokemon. A few of his members had brought him food over the past few days. None of them had been Luke. Leader hadn't seen his brother, the one who called himself Dream Eater since he had visited the other day.

Leader let out a sigh of frustration from where he lay down on the room's singular couch. He launched himself upward into sitting position and shoved himself off the couch. He needed something else to keep him occupied. He was about to lose it. He would have to leave the room to find something else to do.

As he started heading for the door, the PC at one side of the room beeped.

Leader didn't hesitate. He scrambled over to the computer like a madman. He tried to sit down but only succeeded in knocking the chair over. No matter. He simply remained standing, bent over at the waist. His eyes were only about a single foot from the monitor.

Leader had programmed his PC to make a noise every time a post was made on the Team Dominion program that included the word "judgment." Sure, it would've been easier to make it so that it beeped every time Judgment himself made a post, but Leader wanted to make sure he was receiving every scrap of info he could on one of Team Dominion's newest members.

Someone other than Judgment had made a post. This discouraged Leader when he realized until he actually read the post.

Member _Petal Dance_

_I'm making this post to get the attention of anyone with admin authority._

_About a week or so ago, a kid of around fifteen, along with a few of his friends prevented a member of Team Dominion from catching a Pokemon with a Dominance ball. Thankfully, that member wasn't found by the police, but it was still unacceptable. We were able to find a photo of him so we could keep an eye out. _

_I, along with a few other members, saw him today. We confronted him and tried to steal his Pokemon, but we were unable to because he himself owned a Dominance ball. This may sound like he switched sides, but I assure you, the situation was nowhere close. He openly admitted to being against out cause. He is registered as a member, but he is a fake._

_We battled and I won, but he got away before I could manage to take his Pokemon away. I'd thought I'd report him so he could get kicked from a cause he is unworthy of being involved in._

Leader was beginning to sweat. He knew what the next few words were going to be. After all, he wouldn't be reading this post if there wasn't a certain word in it.

_His member ID is Judgment. Kick Judgment. He doesn't belong here._

Leader straightened and did a backbend as he gripped his hair with both hands and pulled a little.

_There's no way he can be against us! He gave us information. Extremely useful information that no one in their right mind would give if they weren't on our side._

Leader stared at the computer screen. He didn't read the words of the post, he simply looked at them as he thought.

After a few minutes of consideration, he came to a decision. He closed the Team Dominion application and shut his computer off. Then he left the room and went towards the exit of the complex, traveling up the stairwell. He reached the main building, which was abandoned, then went through the exit of that structure.

The wind hit him as soon as he stepped outside. It was a cool, winter breeze. The complex didn't have the best air conditioning in a building, so the frigid air was very refreshing after spending so much time inside. Leader started down the sidewalk.

Nobody knew what the leader of Team Dominion looked like, so he was safe to roam around the city. Often times when he went out, it was to get food at a restaurant or a cup of coffee from a cafe. He hardly did anything else.

Now, however, he found himself wanting a drink. He traveled a few blocks to the nearest bar and stepped inside. The sun wasn't beginning to set yet, so the place was almost entirely empty. The only ones there were a construction worker, a cop, and a guy who looked way to young to be drinking despite the glass of scotch in his hand.

Then there was the bartender, of course. Leader slid into a seat at the bar as the bartender turned to him.

"Surprise me," Leader said without waiting for the bartender to ask what he wanted. The bartender nodded and began to prepare a drink.

Leader sighed. _There is a very good chance that he's against us. What he has been said to have done is proof enough for that. However, this doesn't change the fact that his hacking skills are better than anyone I've ever known._ _I can't just kick him out. I need him. He could hold the key to what I've been searching for this whole time. I can't let an opportunity like this go to waste._

The bartender placed a small glass in front of Leader, who closed his fingers around it. He raised the glass to his lips and tipped it to let the drink flow inside his mouth. It entered his mouth in a cool state, then began to feel hot and prickly. Leader let the glass part from his lips and grinned as he held the drink in his mouth.

_And if he decides he wants to be a hero, _Leader thought, _it'll at least be a fun time._

* * *

Adrien was the first to leave Kyle's house. He had said he was really tired and wanted to sleep for a while. Nobody questioned him, even though it wasn't very late in the day at all.

Chu had been returned to its Poke ball. Adrien wanted a moment of solitude so he could think.

Jordan had offered to walk home with him. Adrien had politely refused, saying he wanted to be alone. Jordan had understood and decided to stay for a little while longer. Adrien had been grateful.

Adrien had told only part of the truth to his friends. The reality was that he was bothered. Partly that they had lied to him, partly because of why they had lied.

Adrien held up the palms of his hands and looked them over as he thought. He didn't feel like ending his life today or anytime soon, that was for certain. Of course, he didn't really care if he happened to get killed. That was normal, however.

All seemed fine, so Adrien simply decided to put everything that had happened today behind him. It would be best to move along. He put his hands in his pockets and walked down the quiet street.

_**Y…ost.**_

Adrien stopped in his tracks and whipped himself around, but there was nobody behind him. His eyes darted around the street, but he found the absence of people everywhere he looked.

_**Nev...ose...gain.**_

Adrien shook his head and resumed walking. _I'm really losing it, aren't I?_ He thought to himself. He took his mind off the voices and headed home. He was tired, and wanted to sleep.

* * *

Kyle waved goodbye to Carol from his front door. She was the last one to go home. Jordan had left around fifteen minutes ago and Adrien had left around twenty-five minutes ago. That had surprised Kyle. He hadn't expected Adrien to leave before Jordan.

The last Kyle saw of Carol was her waving from the street as she walked, heading to the right. Kyle closed the front door and went upstairs. He entered his room and immediately let Eve out of its Poke ball. The Pokemon jumped on Kyle's lap as soon as he had seated himself in his chair.

Kyle turned his phone on and held it out in front of his and Eve's face. Kyle didn't think the Pokemon could read, but it seemed to like it when he let it see what he was looking at.

He opened the Team Dominion application and went to the main page, where members made all of their posts. He went to a search tab and typed in "Petal Dance."

A single account came up. Kyle tapped it and examined the members latest post. He sighed when he saw it. Eve seemed to be in distress, as well.

The post laid everything out clearly. Kyle was to be removed from Team Dominion for what he had done against the organization. He had been secretly hoping that Petal Dance would've forgotten about what he did to the thief, but it seemed that he was without luck in the matter.

At that moment, Kyle received a message. He was fairly confident on why he was being sent one but was not prepared to see who had sent it.

Kyle opened his inbox and saw the message sitting there. The sender's ID was "Leader."


	21. Trust And Trickery

**Trust And Trickery**

* * *

_I would like to focus on the progression of the anomaly's owner._

_But…_

_I simply cannot._

_Not with the possibility of its existence in this world._

* * *

Kyle almost jumped out of his seat but remembered just in time that Eve was on his lap. The Pokemon seemed to have noticed Kyle's intentions, as it prepared its legs just as its trainer was about to spring to his feet. Had Kyle committed to the motion, Eve might've gone flying.

Kyle gave an apologetic look to his Pokemon and settled down. Eve relaxed itself

"_Leader" is not the name of a Pokemon move, _Kyle thought. _Which means this guy is definitely the real deal._

Kyle didn't know whether to feel panic or triumph. On one hand, he had received the Leader's attention. On the other, it was due to an unfavorable reason.

Kyle opened the message.

* * *

_Leader: _

_Hello there, Judgment. _

_I'd like to thank you for all you've provided me thus far._

_I've noticed a little post recently. I'll attach a link to it. _

_I'd like to know what you think. I eagerly await your response._

* * *

Attached to the message was a link. Kyle didn't click it, as he had already read it. He would use the extra time to think.

Kyle began to type into his phone. As he did, he felt a trace of nervousness in the back of his skull.

_Should I be respectful?_ He wondered. _Should I text normally? Will it change anything?_

Kyle decided to at least give an acknowledgment to the Leader's status. He typed a message and sent it.

* * *

_Judgment: Before I say anything, I'd like to tell you how much it honors me to be contacted directly by you._

* * *

Leader smiled as he read this part. _Don't bother yourself, Judgment._

* * *

_I know the one who posted it. He's a classmate of mine. We have a bit of a grudge going between us, and I guess he decided to try and get me removed from Team Dominion. I hope you won't believe him._

* * *

Kyle thought it was an acceptable lie for the amount of time he'd had to come up with it.

A return message from Leader came up only a moment later.

* * *

_Leader: _

_Really? Interesting._

_Anyways, perhaps you'd be willing to prove your loyalty. I have something for you to do._

_I'll explain: Basically, I'd like to put your hacking skills to more of a test. I need you to find something specific for me. Do you think you can do this?_

* * *

Kyle's eyes widened and his spirits lifted.

_It doesn't seem like he wants to get rid of me! _Kyle thought, relieved. _Not only that, but this is going exactly as I thought it would! I just never thought the leader would tell me himself. _

Kyle typed out a message and sent it.

* * *

_Judgment: Of course. What've you got for me?_

* * *

Leader sent a message in response.

* * *

_Leader:_

_Excellent. I'll fill you in on what I'd like from you._

_I want you to find a specific device for me. It's located deep in the CPP's digital files. Almost impossible for anyone but the best of hackers and infiltrators to dust off. Nobody at my disposal has been able to find a trace of it so far._

* * *

Kyle moved his fingers to type and explain that he couldn't accomplish anything with the equipment he had on hand. However, he paused and decided that would be best to try and make it less suspicious. He should drag the conversation out a little longer.

* * *

_Judgment: So, how do you know if this thing even exists?_

* * *

_Leader: We have a strong reason to believe it does._

* * *

Kyle decided that what he had said was enough. It was time to get down to business.

_Judgment: Well, if that's true, I probably won't have enough to get the job done. Would it be alright if I used some of your equipment to help me out? It'll most likely be easier and faster that way._

* * *

Leader smiled again and placed a closed fist under his chin, propping his head up and pressing his elbow into the table.

They didn't have very good equipment here. All Team Dominion really had were a few computers and a few gadgets that made it easier to poke their way into places they didn't belong. Seeing how Judgment did a much better job finding their way into the CPP database, it was safe to assume he had better equipment than Team Dominion.

_He didn't even offer to try his hand in it,_ Leader thought amusingly. _He just went right ahead and asked for me to invite him in._

* * *

_Leader: Very well, you make a point. I'll make arrangments to have you brought here. I'd prepare for the trip. Your town is pretty far from where we are at the moment._

* * *

Leader was almost certain at this point that Judgment was against him. It was easy for him to see through his scheme.

And yet, he indulged in it. Nobody stood a chance at getting rid of Team Dominion. The power their Pokemon had combined with the technology they produced was an unstoppable force. The entire CPP couldn't stop them, much less some random guy at a laptop trying to be a hero. He hadn't even involved his Eevee, yet. What could he do?

Leader found himself actually hoping that Judgment was working for the CPP and the police. If he was, that would mean challenge and conflict. Some might say that there wasn't much fun in the game if the victor was obvious, but that wasn't important. What mattered were two things: Leader would be able to make a display of power, as well as drive out the boredom in his system.

He relished in the thought of an all-out battle in their hideout. Battles would be won and lost and lives would be lost and taken. That was the thrill of conflict.

And when the dust settled, Leader would stand above them all. He would hold his hand out to the sky, and in recognition of his great strength, the creature of the heavens would reach down and allow itself to be his…

Leader sighed as he daydreamed. Then he sat up and furrowed his brow.

_Wait. It wouldn't come down for me, even if I did all that, _he thought. He smiled. _That's right. Crushing everyone standing in my path is only the beginning. I must prove that I can ascend to the heavens on my own. _

To do that, Leader would need the device the CPP was hiding in their files.

Leader frowned. _But if he's working for the CPP, the might've just given that information. Judgment might not be a hacker at all!_

Then he shrugged to himself. _If he's what he says he is, I can find a way for him to get me what I want when he gets here. If he's not a hacker at all, I can just hold everyone who comes hostage until I get what I need._

The leader finally noticed that Judgment had sent a message in return to his previous one.

* * *

_Judgment: Great! Where am I going?_

* * *

Kyle was hardly able to believe his luck. His excitement nearly drowned out his nervousness. It was difficult to believe, but Kyle hadn't actually thought about the time his trip would take. Would his family allow him to be away for a few days, especially when he couldn't actually tell them where he was going?

Would he be able to manage it? Could his whole plan be put to rest by something so small? These were the thoughts that crossed the back of his mind as he typed out and sent his next message. It took a little longer than it had before for Leader to respond.

* * *

_Leader: I can't tell you. I'm sure you'll understand. We can't just give away the location of our most classified location._

* * *

Kyle wasn't surprised when he saw this. He had expected Team Dominion to be cautious. He was typing out a reply when Leader sent another message.

* * *

_Leader: By the way, I need a photo of you so we know what to look for when we actually meet up. If you don't send one within a minute, the whole thing is off and I'm removing you from Team Dominion. Have your Eevee in the frame as well, so I know it's you._

* * *

Kyle hadn't expected them to be _this _careful. He sighed, knowing it was inevitable all the same. He took a photo of himself using his phone, being sure that Eve was also in it. The Pokemon didn't seem to share Kyle's anxiety when it came to being photographed and beamed every time a camera was pointed at it.

Kyle was about to send the photo, then paused. As if Eve knew about the time limit, it started to urge Kyle on while he was trying to think his finger hovering over the send button.

A thought had made its way into Kyle's head. He pondered over it for a moment, then typed in a message alongside his photo before clicking send. The picture made Kyle uneasy. He had decided to keep a straight face for the photo. It was better than smiling, but it still gave him anxiety.

* * *

_Judgment: Here's the photo. Something else I felt like I should mention is that I don't work alone. I'll need my friends to come, too._

* * *

Leader raised an eyebrow at the message.

_So assuming he _is _a hacker, _he thought, _he has people who assist him. It's a team._ He leaned back in his chair. _Assuming he's _not _a hacker, he's trying to get more than one person inside so they'll have a better chance at stopping me._

Leader opened the photo and examined it. He would have to admit that he was at least a little surprised.

The one in the photo was a boy no older than sixteen. Just a kid. Most of Team Dominion's members were kids, sure, but Leader hadn't expected the one who would lead the charge in taking him down would be so young. The Eevee was there, too, so Leader was sure that this was actually the face of the one called Judgment.

The fact that Judgment was only a child made Leader reconsider his suspicions. Maybe Judgment _was _just a member who wanted to help. Maybe the post about him being a false member was invalid. Maybe Judgment had told the truth at all times it was necessary.

Leader put a hand to his head as his thoughts began to mix together, making it difficult to find anything that made sense. his mind did this to him occasionally, forcing him to take the time to piece his thoughts together.

Leader spent a few minutes trying to get his mind back in order.

_I am trying to reach the creature of the sky. _The first piece, as well as the easiest one. It had Leader's end goal in all of this.

_I need a device the CPP has ideas for. If I can get my hands on it, I can finish it myself and use it. _The second piece. It was almost as easy to find as the first. From here, however, things would get harder.

_This kid came to me with promising skills. However, as of right now, I have little idea as to where he is aligned. _The third piece.

_Should he be on my side, which is least likely out of all the options, I will help him so he can help me. _The fourth piece.

_Should he be against me or working with the CPP, I will force him to find what I need after dealing with the inevitable invasion on our base. _The fifth piece.

_If he turns out to have no hacking skills at all, I will simply keep him here until he becomes useful. _The sixth piece.

_If nothing works in my favor, I will at least have had fun making my enemies crumble. _The final piece. Now that he had his head straight, he looked back at the message.

If Judgment had a team of hackers, he would surely need them to find the files Leader was looking for. He also wanted to meet everyone he would be relying on.

* * *

_Leader: They will accompany you. I'd like to meet all of you. How many?_

* * *

_Judgment: There are four of us in total. I'll send pictures when I can._

* * *

Kyle grinned, proud of himself for finding a way to get his friends in as well. Leader seemed to be going along with it, too.

* * *

_Leader: Good. I'll send the details of how we'll meet up when you send those photos. I'm signing off for now._

* * *

Kyle closed the application and leaned over the back of his chair. Eve seemed satisfied with its mood. And why not? It had every reason to be. Everything had gone as well as Kyle could hope for. The only thing left to do now was for his mom to let him go on a trip for a few days.

* * *

Adrien stepped into Redvale park. It had been a full day since he had battled Petal Dance with his friends. He was stopping by the park in the hopes of finding a few opponents to pass the time.

Chu was outside of its Poke ball, resting on Adrien's shoulder. It had found that spot only this morning, and it seemed attached to it. Adrien guessed that Carol and her Dratini had given it the idea.

A pair of battling trainers caught Adrien's eye. As expected, he could always find at least one battle going on in the park. He was completely used to it.

Adrien began to walk towards their battle. One of them had an Electabuzz while the other was using a Mightyena. The former appeared to be winning.

As Adrien approached, he opened his mouth to ask if he could battle the winner, but he never got the chance. As soon as the two boys caught sight of him, their faces turned from looks of determination to looks of unease. They stowed away their Pokemon and began to back away before jogging away from Adrien.

Adrien frowned and tilted his head. Sure, he expected everyone to have the same reaction towards him as the two boys did, but he had always thought they would run _after _they had talked to him, not before.

Adrien decided to pay attention to everyone else in the park and found that they, too, were watching him with unease. It made Adrien much more uncomfortable than he wanted. He turned around and walked out of the park as fast as he could without making it seem like he was rushing.

_What was that all about? _He wondered.

_**Th...were...alwa...fraid...of...e…**_

* * *

Kyle knocked on the door to his mom's room. It wasn't completely closed: there was a crack in between the door and the wall.

"Come in!" He heard from inside.

Kyle pushed the door inward and entered the room. He had been required to stay up a little later than usual to be able to talk to his mom since she came home from work so late. He had passed the time by teaching Eve a few tricks. Now the Pokemon was asleep in his room.

Kyle's mom, Emily, worked in multiple jobs. During the morning and most of the day, she worked at a clothing store about fifteen minutes away from the house. During the evening, she worked at a restaurant that was open for a while into the night. Kyle could only imagine how she would be every time she came home.

Yet every time Kyle had seen his mom when she had come home or gone off to work, she was always sweet, kind, and cheerful. She had a radiance to her that no darkness could seem to dim. Kyle was certain that she was putting on a face to reassure her children, and that was something Kyle greatly admired and worried over at the same time. While he was happy that her spirit was unbroken, he wanted her to be open if she was tired.

This time was no different. Emily was sitting on the messy and unmade bed in her waitress uniform, taking off her high-heeled shoes and tossing them to the ground. She straightened her legs in front of her and flexed and curled her toes. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and sighed in relaxation. She then opened her eyes and looked at Kyle, smiling.

"Hi!" She said with a joy that couldn't be put into words. "You're usually asleep by the time I come home! It's so nice to see you! How have things been going? I'm sorry we don't get to spend as much time together as we used to."

Kyle couldn't help but smile back. "Hey, Mom," he said. He sat down next to her on the bed as the two began to chat.

Kyle had heard many other kids at school talk about how they were annoyed with their parents, usually because they thought they were being controlled. He figured that his experience deviated in a large way from theirs. Kyle never found his mom annoying or controlling in any way, even when she had been around more.

Emily had always been supportive of her children, helping them every step of the way they needed. Some would point out that it had been sorely needed since their father had been greatly indifferent towards them, but Emily had taken extra pleasure in guiding her children.

Of course, after the man she had loved so much had abandoned her, she had been stricken with grief. For the first few days after he had been gone, when he was around ten years old, Kyle didn't see his mother in any state of sorrow. However, there were nights when he heard her sobs echoing though the halls. They had lasted for a few months. Every time he went to visit her, it seemed that there was nothing wrong. She had always put on a happy face for him.

Kyle had enjoyed every minute of the time they had spent together as a family. The days where he, Emily, and Chelsey hung out were amazing. The times were so great that Kyle had never bothered to put any effort into making any friends at school. Not only were they disappointing compared to the personalities of his sister and mother, but he had so much fun with them that he never felt lonely. Carol had been an exception.

After time passed and Emily realized the financial trouble they were in, she had been forced to sacrifice her time in order to keep everyone on their feet and under a roof. That had been a long time ago. Kyle had almost forgotten how it felt to spend time with her.

Their conversation was an excellent reminder. Emily was still as charismatic as ever. Kyle had never inherited her social confidence and skills. She knew all the right things to say and ask. She was respectful, attentive, and encouraging.

Emily didn't say much about what had been going on with her. All she said was "Oh, you know, the usual. Taking orders form idiots and telling customers 'no, we don't have Pokemon hats in stock yet,' before asking what Kyle had been up to.

Kyle told her about everything that had happened since the first shipment of Pokemon had been made by the CPP. Everything from his despair at not getting a Pokemon from his recent battle with Petal Dance. He left out everything that Team Dominion had been involved in, as well as the incident with Adrien. Emily hung on every word and sighed when he was finished.

"Wow," she exclaimed. "It seems like you've found yourself a special little partner. Maybe you could introduce me sometime."

Kyle smiled. "Yeah, sure. It's sleeping right now, but I can definitely bring it to see you some other time."

Emily returned the smile. "I'd like that." She paused before continuing. "And you're still hanging out with Carol." She nodded to herself. "That's nice. I like that girl." Then she grinned wickedly. "Have you decided to make any moves yet?" She teased. "Ask her to a nice walk on the beach? Or maybe it'd be just a simple Pokemon battle for your generation?"

Kyle scowled in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, though he knew it was in vain. He felt his face grow a little warm.

Emily let out a laugh. "You don't have to say anything. I know the answer. We both know you'll never have a chance with a girl." She said the words with a playful smirk.

Kyle scowled again and decided not to rebut. He let his mouth curve upward just a little bit.

"And you've made a few more friends, too," Emily added. "Adrien sounds nice, and I'm glad Jordan was able what he was doing wrong."

Kyle nodded. He decided it was time to do what he had come to do.

"Hey, Mom, can I ask you something?" Kyle asked.

Emily smiled. "First off, you just did. Secondly, are we finally getting to why you came to see me?"

"Well, I haven't seen you for a while anyway," Kyle said defensively. "And of course, I enjoy spending time with-"

Emily cut off her son with a laugh. "It's fine, it's fine," She said, waving a hand dismissively. "What did you need?"

"Well," Kyle said, preparing to use the lie he had created, "The CPP invited me to visit one of their facilities. They're going to come to pick me up and take me and my friends there."

Emily examined Kyle's face as he hoped the lie would work. She smirked suddenly.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't lie to me," She said, chuckling slightly. Then she laughed again when she saw Kyle's reaction.

_Damn, I can't seem to get away with lying to anyone,_ Kyle thought. _It must have been pure luck that Leader believed my story._

"Look, Kyle," Emily said. "You don't have to tell me what you're up to if you really would rather not. I trust you."

Kyle blinked. "What?"

"You heard me. You're a smart kid. Go do what you want to do. I'm sure it'll all end up fine. Your friends will be there, too?"

Kyle nodded.

"Good," Emily said. "Carol's a smart one, too. I'm sure you can't get into any trouble. Just make sure you have a good time, whatever you'll be doing."

Kyle smiled. "Of course. Thanks, Mom."

"Not like I could stop you, anyway," Emily said, sighing, "I've got things to do."

Kyle stood up and walked towards the door to leave. He turned back to say one more thing.

"We'll be gone a few days," he added.

"Get out before I take back everything I said."

"Right, bye"

Kyle quickly exited the room, but not before he saw another smile on his mother's face. He smiled himself. His task had gone successfully, and he had been reminded of something that had been lost to him for a time.

_I should really talk to her more._


	22. Meeting Foes

**Meeting Foes**

* * *

_The last time it emerged…_

_That world…_

_It was torn apart._

* * *

Kyle looked through the closed window of the car as it sped down the street. He watched as stores and buildings slid towards him and then away into the distance as the car passed them. He pressed his body against the door in an effort to decrease the physical contact between him and Jordan, who sat next to him. It didn't do much.

It had been almost a week since Kyle had talked with Leader, the boss of Team Dominion. The four friends were on their way to the location that had been decided on. Chelsey was driving them there since none of them had driver's licenses. Kyle had wanted to get someone else to drive them so Chelsey could work today, but neither Adrien nor Jordan had siblings, and Carol's only sibling was Noah, who definitely couldn't drive.

Parents talked too much, so Kyle, Adrien, and Jordan had all been against that idea. Not only because something about Team Dominion might slip out, but also because it was a pain to be constantly pulled into a conversation without consent.

However, Kyle had to admit that if they had found a parent who could drive them, they would all be a lot better off in at least one area. Many parents owned a van. Kyle would've given a lot to be in a van.

Chelsey's sedan only sat a total of five people, which was exactly how many of them were in the car. Needless to say, it was a bit cramped.

Kyle had offered up the front seat to Carol. He knew she would rather have more space, though she would never admit it. Additionally, Kyle had insisted that she sit in the front for… his own reasons. Of course, he didn't share these concerns with her or anyone else in the car.

That left Kyle, Adrien, and Jordan in the back, with Jordan in the middle. He had argued that Adrien should be in the middle since he was the smallest out of all of them, then reconsidered when Adrien began displaying a large discomfort at the possibility.

Kyle was almost forced into the middle by Jordan, but he had been first in the car and had refused to move. Jordan had sighed and grumbled, but he eventually yielded and took the middle. Chelsey had seemed to enjoy watching the whole thing as it happened.

The back of the car was dead silent save for the occasional grumbling from Kyle or Jordan when one of them decided they were dissatisfied with how much room they had. Adrien didn't offer a single word of complaint the entire ride.

Carol and Chelsey talked for most of the drive. Kyle listened in a few times without giving any input. Most of their conversations had involved Pokemon. The rest had mostly been about school. At one point, Chelsey had been preparing to tell an embarrassing story about Kyle that he had heard from her far more than he liked. This time, he had spoken up and cut her off before she could get ten words in, much to Carol's and Jordan's disappointment.

"So, has your Pokemon evolved at all yet?" Chelsey was asking Carol.

Kyle heard Carol sigh. "No, it hasn't," she said with regret in her voice. "It's close, though," she added with some positivity. "I think after maybe a few more wins and it'll have its first evolution. What about yours?"

Kyle knew how proud Chelsey was of her Pokemon. It had evolved into a Snorlax only a few days ago. She had probably asked Carol about her Pokemon so she could talk about Snorlax.

"Wow!" Carol exclaimed when Chelsey finished describing her Pokemon. "That's awesome! I've heard that Snorlax can be pretty strong, too."

"Are you kidding?" Chelsey asked with disbelief. "Have you heard what a _Dragonite_ can do? Girl, you probably have the most powerful Pokemon in our town! Maybe even in our state!"

Kyle heard Carol laugh shyly. "Yeah, maybe. Oh! That reminds me!" Kyle heard the sound of a zipper followed by rummaging from the seat in front of him where Carol was.

They had all brought backpacks for the trip. Kyle had in his a water bottle, some food, potions, a few other things that might come in handy, and the white rare candies. He had left the four others at home for when they returned. Eve's Dominance ball and Kyle's phone were secure in his pockets.

The rummaging stopped, and there was another sound as Carol zipped her backpack closed. Then she turned in her seat to face Kyle, who looked up from the window.

Carol held out her hand. Resting on her palm was a turquoise rock. It was translucent, and Kyle thought it resembled a chunk of glass. There was a pattern on top of it that looked exactly like a snowflake.

Kyle tilted his head. "Is that-"

Carol nodded. "Yeah. Noah found it in the snow on his way home from school a few days ago. Since nobody else he knew had a use for it, he wanted to give it to you. He said to think of it as thanks for helping Shine. I know you already have a stone to evolve Eve with, but I was thinking it'd be nice for you to have more of a choice."

She was right. Having the freedom to choose was nice, especially since evolution stones were expensive and hard to come by. In addition to that, he would prefer to have a Glaceon over a Leafeon.

"Well, tell him I said thanks," Kyle said sincerely, reaching his hand out. "This is really nice to have."

Kyle took the ice stone and put it in his bag, right next to the leaf stone he had also brought along. It was past time for him to evolve Eve, and he had planned on evolving it into a Leafeon when they reached Team Dominion's base. Now, however, it seemed he would be evolving it into a different Pokemon.

"So Mom didn't even want to know what you guys were doing?" Chelsey asked.

Kyle shrugged. "I mean, she didn't mind not knowing, anyway."

Chelsey shook her head. "There's Mom for you. Plenty of my friends would kill to have that kind of freedom."

"You have friends?" Jordan asked, leaning forward. "Funny. I thought you'd be like your brother. Nobody likes him."

Kyle scowled, but Chelsey laughed. "Yeah, he's kind of hopeless when it comes to socializing, isn't he?"

"Tell me about it," Jordan said, grinning. "I'm guessing since you're his brother that you've seen him try to order food."

Chelsey started laughing even more. "I know! He fumbles over everything he says and can barely make his order understood."

Kyle sighed. The four of them had gone to a fast food place one time for lunch. Kyle never liked ordering his food, and Jordan had been snickering the entire time while Kyle stuttered.

Conversation continued for the next half-hour before they finally arrived at their destination. Kyle opened the door to get out with Jordan pushing him. The two of them stumbled out of the car with sighs of relief and stretched their legs.

"Thank God," Jordan said. "It was way too cramped in there."

"Yeah, I'm sure that must've sucked," Carol said smugly as she stepped out of the car, slinging the straps of her bag over her shoulders.

Jordan scowled. "Oh, shut up. Your boyfriend just didn't want you to be pressed so close to us."

Kyle felt his face warm slightly and turned away so nobody could see his face change color. Carol didn't say anything back.

Adrien stepped out of the car on the other side with his bag and raised an eyebrow at the three of them.

"Did I miss something?" He asked.

Kyle turned back around when his face turned back to normal. He noticed that Carol had been a bit flustered as well, while Jordan's mouth was turned into a satisfied smirk. Nobody answered Adrien's question.

"Do you guys need anything else?" Chelsey called from the driver's seat.

Kyle walked over to the window and leaned down. "No, we should be good," he said.

"Are you sure? You don't need me to stay and make sure you guys… ah… do whatever it is you need to be done?"

Kyle shook his head. "No, we're good. Go ahead and go back home. We'll get dropped off in a little while back there, too."

Chelsey's face showed she was uncertain. "Well, okay. Be safe. I still don't know what you guys are up to, but good luck. Don't do anything stupid."

Kyle nodded, and Carol added from behind him: "Yeah, don't worry. I'll keep him in his place."

Chelsey smiled. "Alright. Bye." She waved and Kyle stepped back as she began to drive away and out of sight.

"So what now?" Jordan asked.

Chelsey had dropped the four of them off in the middle of an outdoor shopping center. Stores and a few restaurants lined the outside of a parking lot, which the four trainers stood in.

Kyle shrugged. "I guess we just wait. They said they'd come to us."

As promised, Kyle had sent Leader photos of everyone with their Pokemon after asking each of them. They had all been resistant at first but had eventually given in after some convincing. The members of Team Dominion were probably here, looking for them.

"Let's just walk over to a bench and wait there, in that case," Carol said, pointing.

The bench was large enough for all four of them to sit while still having adequate room, something Kyle could tell everyone was grateful for.

"It'd probably be best to give our Pokemon the things now, I'd imagine," Jordan said after a little bit.

Kyle nodded and took the plastic bag out of his backpack. He removed the candies from it and passed one around to each of them. They all took out their Pokemon. They all waited expectantly.

_Well, here goes nothing,_ Kyle thought as he fed Eve the white candy in his hand. He saw everyone else do the same.

Scarf wiggled around a bit and Fireball's tail flared for a moment, but other than that, no change was apparent. Eve didn't seem to show any reaction at all, other than the fact that it was clear it thought the candy was delicious.

Then everyone noticed Chu. The Pikachu was having a bit of an issue. As soon as it put the candy in its mouth, it spat it back out in disgust. Adrien furrowed his brow in confusion the first time as he tried to feed it the candy again. Chu tried to eat it again only to spit it back out again.

After many attempts of trial, Chu simply refused to ingest the rare candy.

Adrien sighed. "Can I see the plastic bag?" He asked Kyle, holding out a hand. "I'll just try again later."

"Sure," Kyle said uncertainly, holding out the bag. Adrien took it and replaced the candy in the bag before closing it and putting it in his backpack.

"Does it not like the taste?" Jordan asked.

"I'm not sure," Adrien said. "That seems like the most logical conclusion, though if it's true it's pretty unfortunate."

_That's an understatement,_ Kyle thought. _If Chu can't eat the candy, we're done for._

* * *

Dream Eater walked through the halls of Team Dominion's underground base. He had been summoned by his younger brother, Phillip, who also happened to be the leader of Team Dominion. Of course, it wasn't as if he were Dream Eater's boss. Nobody could control him. Dream Eater was simply allowing him to tell him what to do.

Two operatives stood outside the door to Phillip's room. Or rather, _one _operative stood. The other was sitting and leaning back against the wall, eyes drooping as if he were trying to stay awake. Dream Eater couldn't blame. Things could become dreadfully boring if one had the job of a door guard.

_Honestly, what's the point of even having door guards? _Dream Eater wondered as he passed the operatives and put his hand on the door handle. Neither of them made a move to stop him or ask who he was. _They don't do anything._

Dream Eater pushed the door open and walked into the room. He blinked in surprise when he saw that Phillip was on his feet, pacing. In all the times he had come here, Dream Eater had always seen his brother either sitting or laying down.

"Hello," Phillip said without giving any other acknowledgment of Dream Eater's presence.

"What did you need me for?" Dream Eater asked, closing the door.

"A few kids will be dropping by later today," Phillip said casually.

Dream Eater raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. What does that have to do with me at all?"

"You're going to be a part of their escort. I'm having two operatives from Poison Squad join you. You'll meet them at a location a couple of hours from here. The other operatives know where to go."

"Why exactly do you want me to do it?"

"Well, you have the strongest Pokemon here. That's useful when the kids you're escorting might be working for the CPP. Keep them in line. Oh, and I also want you to use Hypnosis on them for the car ride. Can't have them knowing where we are."

"Well, if their working for the CPP, it won't matter what state I put them in. You're talking about something that could potentially end your whole organization. Are you thinking straight?"

Phillip stopped pacing looked at his brother for the first time since he had entered the room. "Of course. Why?"

Dream Eater sighed. "Forget it. Sure, I'll go. When do I leave?"

"Right about now, I think," Phillip said, turning away from Dream Eater again. "Good luck."

* * *

An hour passed. Then two. The four of them left the bench after the first forty-five minutes to buy lunch before returning to eat. They passed time talking, eating, and looking at their phones. They didn't battle at all, not only because the area wasn't appropriote, but also because they didn't want to wear their Pokemon down. They would need their strength for what was to come. To let them rest up, the trainers kept their Pokemon stowed away.

Adrien had fallen asleep in a sitting position on the bench, which baffled Kyle. The iron bench wasn't the most comfortable place in the world to sit.

"He looks so strange when he sleeps," Carol commented as she looked over Adrien's blank face.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"Well," Carol said, "he just looks… dead." Kyle raised an eyebrow at this, to which Carol responded: "You know what I mean. Just look at him. It hardly looks like he's moving at all. I can barely see his chest rise and fall."

"Sleep is the only peace he gets," Jordan said, "which is weird. Most people with anxiety tend to have nightmares. He doesn't seem to get those. He says he doesn't even dream at all."

Kyle found himself sympathizing towards Adrien. He hadn't even been able to pick up on his friend's mental condition. Jordan said he managed to hide it pretty well, but Carol had noticed it, hadn't she?

Kyle's thoughts were interupted as a man and a woman approached their bench. Kyle perked up, then had to try hard not to show his excitment. He wanted to seem calm and rational to everyone at Team Dominion. Jordan and Carol sat up, too.

The two of them didn't seem like typical villains or criminals at all. They both wore blue jeans and black hats. The woman wore a beanie, like Kyle, while the other wore a baseball cap. The man had a green coat that was zipped up and the woman had on a red jacket. They both looked to be around their late twenties.

_I mean, Adrien looks the part more than these guys do, _Kyle thought. The sleeping trainer had worn only black today.

"Are you Judgment?" The woman asked.

Kyle nodded.

The man looked around at his friends. "And these are the ones who assist you?"

Kyle nodded again.

"You don't look like much," the woman commented. "Then again, you _are_ children." She turned and began to walk in the other direction. The man beckoned and began to follow.

Carol gently shook Adrien awake as Kyle and Jordan stood and began to walk behind the two apparent members of Team Dominion. Adrien stood groggily and began to stumble along after everyone else.

They walked throught the parking lot in silence. Kyle couldn't think of anything to say. Should he ask for their names? Code names? Make small talk? He was beginning to feel nervous.

The six of them came to a white van. When they were right next to it, the woman opened the back and knocked on the interior of the door.

"Get in," she ordered.

It all seemed very stereotypical and comedic to Kyle, but he didn't make any comment about it.

Of course, then there was Jordan. As the two members of Team Dominion stood there, asking four kids to get in their white van, he blinked once and said: "What are you guys, rapists? Come on, you couldn't do better than some pedophilic white van?"

The woman growled, but the man just sighed. "Tell me about it," he said. "Really doesn't help when you're trying to keep a low profile. Unfortunaly, we didn't have much better options, so here we are." He gestured inside the van. "Anyway, just step on inside. I promise we have no plans like that despite what our ride says."

Jordan obliged and climbed into the back of the van. Adrien followed. Kyle turned to Carol and shrugged before both of them entered through the back doors. The woman closed the doors behind them, plunging them in dimmness. The only light came through the windshield and the windows in front. The day was cloudy, too, so not much sunlight came through.

The back of the van was spacious, which Kyle was happy about, but there were no seats or safety belts. He hoped the members of Team Dominion weren't rough drivers.

Kyle went towards the right side of the van and sat down, leaning against the inside wall. He looked around at his friends as they also seated themselves. Carol sat down next to Kyle and Jordan sat on the other side. Kyle realized that Adrien wasn't there anymore, though he had been only a moment ago. Kyle could only see two others.

"Adrien?" Kyle asked quietly. "Are you here?"

"Yeah," Came a voice directly across from Kyle, to Jordan's left. He squinted his eyes and found the rough shape of a person. Since Adrien was wearing all black, it had been difficult to spot him in the darkness.

"Wow," Carol said. "With the outfit you're wearing, it's really hard to see you in the dark."

"Yeah, I bet," Adrien. "I almost didn't notice the guy sitting next to me."

Kyle eyes immediately darted to the empty space at Adrien's left. It took him a moment, but he was able to make out yet another shape of a person in the van. They were also wearing nothing but black. Kyle couldn't discern his features through the shadows.

_Now, _this _was what I was expecting, _Kyle thought, satisfied, though he didn't have a good reason to be so.

Kyle heard the sounds of car doors opening and closing from the front of the van, followed by the woman's voice.

"Alright, Dream, put 'em to sleep," she said from the passenger seat.

"Could you stop that?" The voice from the shadowed man asked.

"What?" The woman asked.

"That," the shadowed man said again. "You make it seem like everyone you address is your slave. It's annoying."

The woman growled and looked as if she were about to say something, but the man in the driver's seat put a hand on her arm and shook his head. The woman hesitated, then tore her arm from the man's grasp and turned toward her window, falling silent.

_People must not want to mess with this guy,_ Kyle realized. _I wonder how much of a threat he'll be to us._

The man in the driver's seat turned the key into the ignition and the engine hummed to life. Kyle saw movement from the man in shadow before he held his arm out. For the first time since he had known the man was there, he could clearly see something on him. In his hand was a Dominance ball.

The man pressed his thumb against the button of the ball, and it opened. There was a flash of light in the back of the van. Kyle was able to see Adrien more clearly for a moment, as well as the man sitting next to him.

He looked to be around thirty, older than the man and the woman at the front of the van. He wore a black beanie, too, as well as a long sleeve shirt, pants, and boots. Kyle thought he could see a thin blonde beard around his mouth.

The flash of light was gone, and the man was once again shrouded in shadow. With the darkness, the van suddenly became much colder than it had been before. Kyle also felt a chill run down his spine, though it wasn't due to the unexpected decrease in temperature. He heard Carol gasp to his left.

A Pokemon stood in the center of the space in the back of the van. Kyle could see that it was large and purple, with spikes on its back. It also had a small tail and glowing red eyes. The eyes fell on Kyle, whose mouth became dry.

_It feels like it wants to kill me!_ Kyle thought, fear building in its chest.

"Hypnosis," the shrouded man ordered. "The four kids."

The Gengar grinned widely and flared its eyes at Kyle, who immediately began to feel drowsy. After a few moments, he drifted off into a deep sleep.


	23. Violence Disregards Misfortune

**Violence Disregards Misfortune**

* * *

_A power equal to and opposite of my own._

_I managed to stop it last time, but…_

_I have grown weaker as time has passed._

* * *

Kyle felt himself gain consciousness and snapped his eyes open. He pressed his hands against the smooth, cool, marble floor and jumped to his feet. He whipped his head back and forth to take in his surroundings.

Carol, Adrien, and Jordan were all awake, seated as they watched him. Carol and Jordan were giving him hard looks while Adrien's face was expressionless. All of their bags and belongings were gone, along with their jackets and coats. They were all in their shirts.

In the room with the man and the woman who picked them up from the shopping center. They were holding on to the bags and jackets while blocking one of the doors in the room. Kyle turned his head the other way and saw a man with a thin blonde beard. Kyle guessed he was the one who owned the Gengar.

Directly to the Gengar trainer's left was a leather couch. Sitting on that couch was a man who looked very similar to the Gengar trainer, except he had a much goofier look about him.

_Could they be related? _Kyle wondered.

The couch looked almost like a throne in the way it was positioned. Kyle guessed the one sitting on it was the one in charge, the one called "Leader." He was leaning forward intently, though his foolish grin made it look less intimidating. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and black jeans. He wore no shoes, and he was tapping one of his bare feet.

"Seems like you're a little eager, Judgment," the man on the couch said. "How was your nap?"

"A little forced, I think," Kyle said. Then he added, "Leader," earning him a grin from the one he was addressing.

"Yes, well, we couldn't have you knowing where we were, could we?" Leader questioned playfully.

"I mean, it's not like there were any windows I could see clearly out of in that van."

Leader laughed. "Oh, I like you." He clapped his hands together and rubbed his palms against one another. "Alright, now that you're all awake, I have some questions."

Kyle felt jeans and found that the Dominance ball that held Eve was gone, as well as his phone. He searched around frantically, but couldn't find where it might be.

"Oh, if you're looking for your Pokemon and your phones, you needn't worry," Leader said. "Dream Eater has them."

The one with the blonde beard held up three Poke balls and one Dominance ball for the four of them to see in his right hand. He held up his left hand as well. In it were four phones.

"You'll get them back momentarily," Leader assured. "We just have to make sure you're trustworthy, first. You understand, I'm sure."

Kyle shrugged, though someone else holding Eve in their hand gave him an unpleasant feeling.

"No more interruptions," Leader said. "I have questions for all of you."

_These questions shouldn't be too much trouble, even if he's testing our trustworthiness, _Kyle thought. _We'll probably be able to make stuff up. We just have to be able to think fast. _

"First of all, what are your names?" Leader asked. "I know to call him Judgment, but I don't what to call the rest of you. You don't have to give me your real names, just something to call you by."

Carol, Adrien, and Jordan exchanged glances. Jordan shrugged and stood first, facing Leader.

"You can call me Flare Blitz," Jordan said.

Leader nodded as Carol stood up as well. "I'm Outrage,"

_They chose names based on moves their Pokemon will learn when they level up, _Kyle realized. _Just like everyone else in Team Dominion. That should gain at least a little favor._

Leader must have realized this as well, for he grinned widely. "Okay. And what about you?"

Adrien hadn't stood yet. He was looking at the floor with his hands in his lap.

"Give him a sec," Jordan said, sighing. "He likes to think these things through."

Leader didn't seem agitated by this. In fact, it seemed like he enjoyed the fact that one of them was taking their time.

Adrien opened his mouth to say something after a few minutes, then paused suddenly. He cocked his head to the left as if he were listening to something.

"Shadow Force," he said quietly at last. His voice was only a little above a whisper. Kyle could barely hear it.

"I'm sorry?" Leader said. "If you could speak up?"

"Shadow Force," Adrien said more clearly as he, too, stood.

Leader frowned. "All right, sure."

Kyle knew why Leader was frowning. Shadow Force wasn't a move that he had heard of before. He was fairly certain it didn't exist.

"Well, anyway," Leader said, the smile returning to his face, "Now that I know what to call you I can ask you all questions. Tell me, Judgment," He turned to Kyle, who readied himself. "I'd like to know since you said he's your friend. What's Petal Dance's real name?"

The question caught Kyle slightly off guard. He was expecting a question asking why he would join Team Dominion. He had already prepared part of a backstory that involved a quest for revenge. Because of this, he hesitated a bit too long as he tried to think.

"I don't think he'd want me to just reveal his name like that," Kyle said hastily, stumbling over the words a bit.

Leader smiled. "Of course, of course," he said. "I was only curious. You don't have to tell me if that's not what you think he'd want." He turned to Carol. "You there. Outrage, you said? I'd like you to tell me how you all managed to hack into the CPP database."

_So that's it, _Kyle thought, realization dawning upon him. _He's not looking for loyalty. He's trying to determine the validity of what I told him. If our answers are jumbled and inaccurate, he'll know something's off._

Carol blinked once. She knew that the story was that the four of them had worked together to hack into the CPP's files, but she knew nothing beyond that. All she could do was try and say something that might be plausible.

"Oh, I didn't do any of the actual hacking," Carol said. Her composure was excellent considering her position, but Kyle could hear that her words were shaking slightly. He hoped Leader didn't notice.

Leader cocked his head, confused. "You didn't? Judgment told me you all contributed."

Carol shook her head. "It was just the three of them." She waved her hand towards her friends. "All I did was set up the equipment and fix their computers if they broke down. They can infiltrate well, but don't know a damn thing about computer manufacturing. That's my specialty."

As far as Kyle knew, Carol didn't know much about it, either, but the way she said it made it all sound very convincing.

Leader nodded, then pointed at Jordan. "Perhaps you can tell me, then."

Now it would get difficult. Jordan couldn't pull the same stunt as Carol had, especially since she had told Leader that Jordan had directly helped in the hacking. Kyle was worried, but he soon found out he didn't have a reason to be.

Jordan, with an expression as calm as a light breeze, put his hands in his pockets as he began to describe in detail the process in which they supposedly found the information they had given to Team Dominion. Kyle couldn't make any sense out of what he said, but whatever it was seemed to satisfy Leader.

They had dodged two bullets, but Kyle knew there were more to come.

"And now a question for you, Shadow Force," Leader said. He said the name with a hint of regret in his voice as if saying it was like tasting table salt. "What exactly was it that you found? What did you provide us with?"

Kyle began to feel the beginnings of panic. He had neglected to tell any of them what Marcus had actually uncovered on his search. It was near impossible to guess, and making something up would give them away.

Adrien, as usual when it came to answering direct questions, looked a little uncomfortable. He looked towards Leader for a moment. Then he glanced at Kyle and the others for a moment before turning around to look at the members who were blocking their exit.

_Come on, Adrien! _Kyle thought as he tried to keep himself from fidgeting.

Adrien turned back towards Leader. "Could I have my jacket back?" He asked.

Leader's smile faded. "What?"

"My jacket," Adrien clarified, pointing at the black garment the woman was holding. "Could I have it back?"

Leader blinked once. "I suppose, sure." He gestured for the woman to give Adrien his jacket. "Just make sure their's nothing in it," he told her.

The woman shook out Adrien's jacket, then proceeded to search it, making sure there was nothing in the pockets nor any secret pockets. When she was satisfied, she took a few steps foward and tossed Adrien the jacket. He grasped it with both hands and pulled it on, zipping it up. He adjusted the sleeves and let out a deep sigh. Suddenly, he looked much more at ease.

"I have no clue what it was," Adrien said perfectly. "I just found it. The file had no label. I showed it to Judgment because I thought it was important. He was the one who managed to open the thing. He never showed us what it was."

In all the time Kyle had known Adrien, he had never heard him speak as if he were sure of his words until now. Usually, he seemed careful about what he said, causing him to misspeak every now and then. But the words he spoke to Leader seemed like they came from one who was greatly experienced in speech.

_What the hell was that? _Kyle wondered in awe.

"Very well," Leader said, sighing. "Those are all the questions I have for you three. Venoshock, take them to their rooms."

"Right," Kyle heard the woman acknowledge. She walked forward and grabbed Jordan's arm, who pulled it from her grip. She didn't try to grab it again. "C'mon. You two as well." She pointed at Carol and Adrien.

"Actually, I'd like you to leave that one here," Dream Eater spoke. It had been the first time he had said anything since Kyle woke up.

"Huh?" The woman - Leader had called her Venoshock - asked. "This one?" She indicated Adrien, who had his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, him," Dream Eater said.

Venoshock looked to Leader for the final order. Leader was busy examining Dream Eater's face.

"Whatever," Leader said. "Take Flare Blitz and Outrage. Judgment and Shadow Force will join them shortly."

Carol and Jordan looked like they wanted to protest, but they were thankfully both wise enough not to. However, it was slightly surprising for Kyle to see Jordan cooperate with them.

Soon, the only ones left in the room were Kyle, Adrien, Leader, and Dream Eater. They stood in silence, Kyle and Adrien on one side and Leader and Dream Eater on the other.

_If I had to guess, I'd say these two will be our toughest obstacles,_ Kyle thought to himself, trying to form a plan in his mind. _But we can't do anything without our Pokemon!_

"Why'd you want to keep him here?" Leader asked Dream Eater.

Dream Eater stared intently at Adrien, who returned the look with a calm expression. "He's someone to worry about," he told Leader without looking in his direction. "Trust me, I can tell. It's best if he stays within my sight."

Leader shrugged. "I'll take your word for it." He focused on Kyle. "Now, I have a few more questions."

_More? _Kyle thought. He was getting tired of the questions. When would he earn their trust? They had answered their other questions well enough.

He couldn't keep himself from asking, "More? Haven't we proven ourselves already?"

Leader grinned. "Oh, we're just getting started." He stood up from his couch and began to slowly descend the steps in between him and Kyle. "I'll ask another question. This one is for both of you. Is it easy for you to tell when someone's lying?"

Kyle suddenly felt cold, and it wasn't because his jacket had been taken from him. "No," he said honestly, while Adrien nodded.

"Is it easy?" Leader asked Adrien.

Adrien shrugged. "Depends on the person."

"It always seemed to come naturally to me," Leader said fondly. "I could always tell apart the fibs from the truth." He turned back to Kyle. "With that in mind, do you think it's easy to fool me?"

Kyle found it difficult to swallow. His mouth was beginning to dry. "I doubt it."

"So, would you be surprised if I told you that I don't believe a word of what any of you said?"

Kyle broke eye contact and remained silent. Adrien didn't speak up, either.

"Now, I'll admit that I'm deeply impressed by how well you all managed to lie," Leader said sincerely. "I could barely tell it was on the spot. But it wasn't enough."

This was not how Kyle had seen things going. He clenched his fists and tried to think of a way to fix all of this. He needed to put himself in a better position. But how?

"So, I want to know why you're here," Leader said. "I already know you're not what you say you are. You're not a loyal member, and you're not a hacker, either. I know that. What I still can't figure out is your exact reason for being here. I have some ideas, of course."

_What _had _I been thinking would happen, anyway? _Kyle wondered. _That I would just find myself in a lucky spot? That there would some convenient time where I could blow everyone away and take down an entire criminal organization? Damn, I'm such an idiot._

"My primary theory," Leader went on, "is that you work for the CPP. That would explain how you received those files without hacking." He reached the bottom of the steps and continued walking toward Kyle on even ground. "If that were true, then it would mean you were probably followed, in which case we'll be invaded soon enough by police. Is that it?" He looked at Kyle expectantly.

Kyle could no longer see any reason why he should lie. The fire that had been inside of him, the one that had burned on the fuel of the confidence that had driven him to take down Team Dominion, had gone out.

"No," he said. "They're not here."

Leader frowned. "Wow. You're not lying. So why are you here? Oh! Maybe you planned to contact them once you got here? Too bad I had you put to sleep. Yeah, I took your phone away too. Hey, you know what?" He stopped and turned around to face Dream Eater. "Toss me the gray one," he told him.

Dream Eater pulled out the phone with the grey case - Kyle's phone - and tossed it to Leader, who turned back around and continued to approach Kyle. When he was about five feet away, he stopped and held out the phone to Kyle.

"Here," he said. "Call them. Here, I'll even tell you where we are." He then recited an address. Kyle found himself believing that the address was real, as he saw Dream Eater raise an eyebrow when Leader said it.

Kyle took his phone and stared at it. He _could _call the CPP. But Leader seemed confident. There was no way he didn't have a plan in mind. Besides, Kyle didn't feel up for being a prisoner who needed rescuing, though he was feeling an awful lot like one.

"That wasn't my plan, either," Kyle said, letting his arm fall to his side.

Leader sighed. "Fine then. I give up. Tell me what you had in mind."

Kyle looked at the smooth marble floor. "I just thought…" He stopped.

There was a moment of silence. Then Kyle heard Leader begin to chuckle before it turned into raucous laughter.

"No way!" Leader exclaimed. "You thought you could do this all on your own?" He laughed some more. The sound of it made Kyle grit his teeth.

_Carol had been right,_ he thought.

Leader settled down a bit before he continued to speak. "As funny as that is," he said, "it's disappointing. You're pretty much useless to me." He sighed, then turned to Dream Eater again. "Go put them in their rooms. I'll think about what to do with them. Have their phones destroyed and their Pokemon placed in Dominance balls under my ID. At least I'll get something out of all this."

The last part made Kyle snap. He jumped towards Leader and pushed him to the ground, raising his arms and trying to punch the head of Team Dominion in the face. Leader punched Kyle in the gut, causing him to groan in pain. Leader then kicked the boy off of him and got to his feet as Kyle lied on the floor, holding his gut.

Leader was breathing hard. Both Adrien and Dream Eater had taken a step forward as if they intended to interfere but had stopped when Leader had thrown Kyle off. Adrien walked over to Kyle to see if he was alright.

Kyle caught a glimpse of Leader's smile. "That was a little fun," he said, chuckling a little in between breaths. He turned back to Dream Eater. "Put him to sleep. He'll probably just cause more trouble if we keep him awake."

Dream Eater took out a Dominance ball and released his Gengar. Once again, Kyle was met with the chill of the ghost-type's presence. And once again, Kyle met the embrace of sleep as Gengar's sinister red eyes flared.

* * *

Kyle opened his eyes, blinked them to make sure he had actually opened them. The room he was in was as black as pitch. He couldn't tell how large the room was or where the exit was.

He could barely see his own body. He hoped his eyes would adjust soon.

Kyle wasn't tied up. He'd been expecting some kind of bondage.

_I guess they don't see me as much of a threat,_ Kyle thought.

He didn't try to get up and find the exit. It would probably be locked. The best thing to do now was to sit still. He couldn't hope for anything to happen. Nothing _could _happen, after all.

* * *

Adrien hadn't been put under sleep. Dream Eater had carried Kyle while Adrien walked in front. He had thrown Kyle into his "room," which was small and empty. It was more like solitary confinement than a room. Adrien couldn't help but wonder if Jordan and Carol had been thrown into similar paces.

Dream Eater had taken Kyle's Dominance ball and pressed the sleeping boy's thumb against the button to unlock it before closing the door.

Dream Eater then took Adrien to his own room across the hall. When the door was opened, Adrien saw that it was practically identical to the one Kyle was in. Adrien walked inside a few steps before turning around to see Dream Eater holding out a Poke ball. Chu's Poke ball.

"Unlock it," Dream Eater said.

Adrien stared at the Poke ball, then looked back up to Dream Eater. "No thanks."

A wave of pain flashed across Adrien's face, he stumbled and hit the ground. He grimaced in pain as he felt strong hands grab his own and press his own thumb against something cool and metal. The button on the Poke ball. Then Dream Eater left and shut the door behind him without a word, plunging Adrien in darkness. Adrien sighed and sat down.

_I guess we just got unlucky, _he thought to himself. _There was no way Kyle could have predicted all of this perfectly. I don't blame him. It was my choice to come along, too. It's my own fault I'm in this situation. At least I have my jacket._

Adrien closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. He could at least try to fall asleep so he didn't have a headache while he waited.

_**Yo...ving...up?**_

Adrien sighed. He knew that there was no one else in the room. It was the voice inside of his head again. Adrien kept his eyes closed and tried to ignore it.

_**You're...giving...up?**_

Adrien opened his eyes this time. The voice was more clear, and he could understand what it was saying.

_**Answer me.**_

Adrien knew that talking to yourself led to insanity, but he didn't really care at this point. He was already pretty mentally unstable.

"I wouldn't call it giving up," Adrien said. "If an opportunity presented itself, I'd take it. But for now, there's not much I can do."

_**You could have resisted the one that brought you here. You could have fought back.**_

Adrien had half-expected the voice not to respond. He was a little surprised when it did, but he still talked with it nonetheless as if it were perfectly normal.

"I came along because there was only a _chance _that I might die," he said. "Sure, it was a big chance, but it wasn't exactly suicide, either. That's when it becomes fun."

_**Ah, I see. That's why you came. You wanted to feel close to death without actually dying. You find the feeling exhilarating. You must be very bored.**_

Adrien chuckled. "Yeah."

_**I get bored often, too. I'm in a place where I cannot interact with anyone. But I think this could be a good time for both of us. So, would you like to have some fun together?**_

The voice was getting clearer with every word. Adrien couldn't help but consider the voice as an actual separate being from him, and not just a voice.

Adrien smiled slightly. "Sure. I'd love to."

He felt a feeling inside of himself. It felt as if he were grinning widely, but when he felt his face, it was still his own half-smile. Was it the voice?

_**Good. Let's begin.**_

Adrien gasped as a wave of power and emotion began to course through his body.

* * *

The Poke balls belonging to the four captive trainers, along with their other belongings, were being held in the same room where Dominance balls were made. The room was perhaps the largest one in the building, with machinery designed to shape metal and computers for assigning the balls to Team Dominion members.

Fire Spin, one of the members of Burn Squad, had been tasked with transferring the Pokemon he had been given to Dominance balls assigned to the leader. He sat at a table in one of the corners of the room, away from the machines. Dream Eater had brought them there, along with a few jackets and backpacks. Fire Spin had asked about them, but Dream Eater hadn't answered.

The Poke balls had been unlocked, which saved a lot of trouble. He didn't need to find Extrasensory or someone else with hacking skills to unlock them. All he had to do was release the Pokemon, then quickly capture them with Dominance balls before they knew what was happening. Fire Spin had already contained three of them with this method: the Dratnini and the Monferno. Those two sat on the table next to him in Dominance balls

Fire Spin was preparing to do the next one. He wouldn't know what the Pokemon species was until he opened the Poke ball, but it wouldn't make much difference.

He took the Poke ball in his left hand and the empty Dominance ball in his right, preparing himself. When he was ready, he pressed his thumb against the unlocked Poke ball, opening it. A flash of light came from the depths of the Poke ball and began to materialize in the space in front of him. Right as it fully formed, Fire Spin shot his arm out and tapped once on the Pokemon, sealing it inside the Dominance ball. Satisfied, he placed it on the table. That one had been a Pikachu.

Now, what to do about the one inside the Dominance ball...

_**You think I can be so easily contained?**_

The Dominance ball holding Chu began to tremble slightly. The Team Dominion member didn't look over.

_**Only one has managed to imprison my power, and that one's own abilities are beyond compare to some measly device you filthy creatures created.**_

The Dominance ball began to shake. The Team Dominion member who had been lost in thought turned his head. The ball had apparently caught his attention.

_**DO NOT MAKE ME LAUGH.**_

The Dominance ball burst open, fragments flying in all directions. Chu, freed from its confinement, stood on the table.

The Team Dominion member held his hands up to his face. Through Chu's eyes, the Renegade could see blood from behind his hands. The metal fragments must have cut him.

"H-H-" the man stammered, stumbling backward.

_**GET OUT OF MY SIGHT.**_

Chu fired off a Thunderbolt, striking the man in the shoulder. He screamed, taking one hand away from his face to cover his new injury. When he took his hand away from his shoulder to inspect it, it was badly burned and charred.

"B-but you don't have a trans-attack!" The man insisted.

The Renegade knew he couldn't be heard, but it didn't stop him from speaking.

_**YOU THINK I NEED **_**YOUR **_**TOOLS TO BE POWERFUL? **_

Chu shot the man with another Thunderbolt, this time in the chest. The man fell still. The Renegade wasn't sure if the man was dead or alive. It wasn't used to using any power after so long. Quite frankly, it didn't care if the man was dead.

Chu turned to the other Dominance balls on the table. It focused on the one that held the Eevee. The one that belonged to that other human.

_**So, this is your puppet. **_

Chu looked the Dominance ball up and down. It placed its flat tail underneath it and hefted it into the air.

_**I could destroy it right now. What would you do, then? You'd have little chance of preserving your power.**_

Chu set the ball down.

_**Still, it's a chance. Destroying your puppet would have little benefit. Not only that, but it would make my vessel upset with me. I can't afford that.**_

Chu took a step back, then kicked the Dominance ball with the force and power of a god. The container shattered, and the Eevee materialized on the table in front of Chu.

Pokemon could communicate well with each other, despite not being able to speak. Chu told the puppet that their trainers were in trouble and that they needed to help. The Eevee understood.

Chu destroyed the other two Dominance balls, freeing the Dratini and the Monferno. Then the Pikachu explained the situation to them, as well. The Pokemon broke the door to the room down and began to search the hallways. Before Chu left, however, there was one more thing the Renegade wanted to do while they were here.

Chu turned on the machinery and began releasing powerful shocks of electricity, destroying every machine and computer in the room. Not another Dominance ball would be made after this. When it was done, Chu nodded its head in satisfaction before turning to follow the other Pokemon.

* * *

Adrien found it hard to describe the feeling that had come over him. It wasn't...anger. It was more of a strong desire to fight. For conflict. He desired violence. That was it.

He needed someone to fight. And there were plenty of people right outside that door. He just needed it to open.

As soon as these thoughts came across his mind, the door was blasted inward. It hit the wall opposite the entrance to the room. Light poured inside. Adrien watched as his Pokemon hopped inside and picked him out in the darkness. Adrien smiled at it.

_**There. Now, let's satisfy our need for excitement.**_

* * *

Kyle had tried to sleep, but couldn't. He couldn't stop thinking about how he had let everyone down. They could all die, and it was his fault. His own doing.

He punched the wall next to him. "Dammit!" He growled at the pain on his knuckles.

Just then, he heard a clicking noise as the door to his room opened. Kyle blinked as his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting. Then he blinked again because he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Adrien, Carol, and Jordan all stood in the doorway. They looked like they were having a bit of a rough time, except for Adrien, who was smiling a little. He waved at Kyle.

"Hey," he said.

Kyle pushed himself to his feet and walked forward slowly, mouth open in disbelief. The Pokemon were there, too. Eve ran up and jumped into his arms. Scarf was wrapped around Carol's neck. Fireball was leaning against Jordan's leg. Chu was sitting on top of Adrien's shoulder.

"How?" Kyle asked.

Jordan pointed a thumb to Adrien. "It was this guy. He just came up to my prison room and opened the door. All of the Pokemon were with him. I have no idea how he managed it."

Jordan looked like he was having the worst time out of everyone. His face was painted with bruises and cuts. Adrien had a mark, too, but Jordan's face was much worse.

"What happened?" Kyle asked, pointing.

"Oh, this? They wanted me to unlock my Poke ball. I didn't want to. That guy from the van did this as a result," he said. "Oh, yeah, your plan kinda failed, by the way. Didn't know if you'd noticed."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kyle said, sighing. "I'm just glad we're back on track." He turned to Carol, who had yet to speak. "Are you alright?" He asked.

Carol looked better than Adrien and Jordan as far as injuries went. She seemed relatively calm, too. At least, that was what he thought.

"Idiot!" Carol burst as she proceeded to punch Kyle across the face. He yelped and accidentally dropped Eve to the ground. The Pokemon landed on its feet and scurried behind Kyle.

"Hey! Come on, I know I deserve that, but-" Kyle was cut off as Carol went in again, this time embracing him in a hug.

Kyle would have appreciated the moment a lot more if Adrien and Jordan weren't staring. Jordan was laughing while trying hard not to make a sound. Adrien was still smiling with his hands in his jacket pockets.

Carol pulled away and wiped her eyes. She pushed Kyle off of her.

"Okay, let's go," she said. "I'm in the mood for beating the crap out of some criminals."

Kyle grinned. "Right." He hoped they'd have the opportunity to talk about the hug later. At the moment, they had something more important to focus on.

Adrien nodded, and Jordan punched his palm with a fist.


	24. Storming Of The Castle

**Storming Of The Castle**

* * *

_There it is._

_The Renegade has taken its first life in this world._

_It will certainly not be the last one._

* * *

Leader was, once again, bored. If he had a nickel for every time he was in this state, he could shut his members up when they asked for payment.

Judgment had only disappointed him. Sure, their conversation and their brief encounter had been at least some fun, but it had been over rather quickly. In the long run, he hadn't received anything worthwhile from the kid.

The door to his room opened. Leader sat up to see his brother enter the room. He sighed, disappointed, and flopped back down on the leather couch.

"Are you unhappy to see me?" Luke asked.

"Believe it or not," Leader said, "I was half-hoping you were one of those kids, and that you had broken out of your room before coming to confront me."

"Actually, that's why I'm here."

Leader sat up again, this time from confusion. "What?"

"The kids broke out of their rooms. They're making their way here, now. They have their Pokemon with them."

Leader blinked. "What?" He said again, dumbfounded.

Luke sighed. "They've already taken out all of the Pokemon in Burn Squad," he said tiredly. "Their Pokemon are pretty powerful."

"They didn't try to escape?"

"No."

"Are they idiots?"

"They're not dumber than you, at least."

Leader chuckled. Then he laughed harder than he ever had in his life. This was, undoubtedly, the funniest thing he had come across in all of his time spent alive.

"They actually managed it," he said fascinatingly. "He said he planned on taking me down. I thought he was stupid, but he's actually putting some weight behind his words."

"What do you want me to do?" Luke asked.

It didn't take Leader very long to figure out exactly what he wanted. "I want you to stand outside that door," he said.

"That's all? You don't want me to go out and fight?"

"Don't you get it?" Leader asked. "This is a game. I'm the final boss. You're the last enemy they have to go through to get to me."

* * *

"They're too strong!"

"How? They're only kids! We have trans-attacks, too!"

The five members of Team Dominion the four of them had been fighting ran away after returning their Pokemon to their Poke balls. The four Pokemon that had defeated them stood defiant as if daring another opponent to be thrown their way.

_Now, _those _guys looked the part,_ Kyle thought to himself, satisfied in a way. The members of Team Dominion had been dressed in all black, with the occasional gray garment. It was how Kyle had imagined them to look. Like criminals and villains.

"Wow, those candies are really something," Carol commented. "Scarf seems so much more powerful, now."

"Yeah, same with Fireball," Jordan said.

Kyle turned to Adrien. "It seems like Chu's got some more kick, too. Did it end up taking the candy?"

Adrien nodded silently.

"So, where's our stuff?" Jordan asked. "Fireball needs some healing after that battle."

"Our Pokemon probably know," Adrien said. Sure enough, as soon as he said it, Chu began to bound towards a particular entrance. This one was larger than the others, and at the end of a hall rather than in the middle of one.

The doors to the room were completely destroyed. It seemed as if Chu had used a Thunderbolt to blast them open. Kyle stepped inside the room and looked around.

"Damn…," he couldn't help but say.

The room had been utterly trashed. In the center of the room was what might have once been a large machine. It had been torn apart by an unknown force. Bits of machinery were everywhere, along with scraps that might have once belonged to computer monitors or tables. Kyle took all of it in.

_Did Chu do _this, _too?_

Kyle heard Carol yelp from beside him. He turned his head quickly to see what was wrong.

Carol was covering her mouth with both hands in astonishment. When Kyle saw why, he couldn't blame her for a reaction like that.

On the floor was a bloodied man. He lay still on his back, his eyes staring at the ceiling, as if he were dead. He certainly _looked_ deceased to Kyle anyway. Fearing what he might find out, Kyle walked over and leaned down to search for the man's pulse. There was none. Kyle stood back up and wiped his fingers on his jeans. There had been some blood around the man's neck.

"Is he-" Carol didn't finish the question, but it was relatively easy for Kyle to realize what she wanted to ask.

"Yeah. He's dead."

Jordan grimaced. "There's a first. Never seen a dead body before."

"I'd definitely call it an experience," Kyle said. His stomach wasn't feeling well, but he pushed past the discomfort. He didn't feel like making a show at the moment. So instead, he put his hand over the man's eyes and closed them. That was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

Adrien didn't seem troubled at all. Then again, it was hard to tell when Adrien was feeling anything.

"There's our stuff," the black-clothed boy said.

Kyle followed Adrien's eyes and found his belongings in one of the corners in the room. He went to the pile of jackets and backpacks and picked up his gray jacket. He didn't put it on. Instead, he stuffed it into his bag. It was hot in the building. He pulled a potion out of his bag and began to treat Eve.

"How could this happen?" Carol asked out loud. She was still staring at the corpse.

"My guess is that it happened the same way all of this happened," Jordan said, gesturing towards the wreckage with his arms. "Look at his chest, too. It looks like he was hit by some kind of energy."

Kyle looked over and saw that Jordan was right. "Like a thunderbolt," he said without meaning too.

Everyone paused. Everyone knew the implication in that statement.

"I mean, I didn't want to say anything specific," Jordan muttered.

"It couldn't have been Chu," Carol said. "I can't believe you'd even think that!"

Kyle sighed. "That's not what I meant to say."

Carol didn't listen. "First of all, Chu doesn't even have one of those ludicrous devices. That immediately makes it impossible."

"I know, Carol," Kyle insisted. "It was probably one of the Team Dominion guys. At least, that's the only explanation I can think of."

"You think he took out his lackey for being incompetent?" Jordan asked.

Kyle nodded. "Right."

"Makes you wonder what a guy like that would do to us."

"Right," Kyle said, a little quieter this time.

Everyone fell silent. Surprisingly, Adrien was the one who spoke up.

"We can't go back now," he said slowly as if he were asking if anyone _did _want to go back.

"I know," Kyle said. "I guess it's hitting me now that we came so close to losing. You know, the fact that we could all die."

"Well," Carol said, composing herself. "We should probably take this time to think about strategy."

She was right. Their Pokemon were stronger than most here. However, that didn't mean they were going to do this easily.

"Did you have something in mind?" Jordan asked.

"Sort of," Carol admitted. "I was thinking about the guys we just fought against."

"I noticed it too," Adrien said. "They all had fire-types."

"Right," Carol said. "This whole place is probably organized that way."

"You think so?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah."

"That could either be a huge advantage for us," Jordan pointed out. "If the type of the Pokemon we go up against is strong against one of us, the rest will almost always be able to compensate.

"And I don't think there's a single type that we would have to really worry about," Carol said.

"So, what do we do with that?" Kyle asked.

"Well, it tells us that it would be best to stick together," Carol concluded. "But, we also have to think about what needs to be done."

"All we really need is to take down that Leader guy, right?" Jordan asked.

"Not necessarily," Kyle said. "However you look at it, we're probably going to need help. We should call the CPP and the police."

Carol began to search her bag. Then she paused, adopting a confused expression. She began to rummage around more. Finally, she stopped and looked up at the others with a worried expression.

"My phone's gone," she said.

Kyle searched his own bag and found that his phone was gone as well. He even checked his jacket to make sure that it wasn't in the pockets. "Mine's gone, too," he said.

Adrien and Jordan came up with similar results.

"Well, we kinda should've expected this," Jordan said.

"Well, this changes things a bit," Kyle said.

"Based on this debris and from Leader's room, we can tell that this place probably has a lot of computers," Adrien said.

"That doesn't really help us call anyone, does it?" Jordan said.

Adrien sighed. "No, but don't you exchange emails with a professor at the CPP, Kyle?" He asked.

"Uh, yeah, you're right," Kyle replied. "So we just have to search the rooms here until we find a computer, right? Then we can contact him."

"Do we know this place's address, though?" Carol asked.

"Oh! Wait, let me try to remember..," Kyle thought back to when Leader had told him the address of this place. He thought hard for a few moments, then sighed, as he couldn't figure out the exact numbers Leader had said. "No, I can't remember."

"Are you sure you don't remember?" Adrien asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Kyle said, disappointed in himself.

"That's alright," Adrien said. He then recited the address perfectly. Kyle recognized each number and word as he said it.

Kyle looked up at his friend and stared him down. "You didn't want to provide your help a little bit earlier?" He asked, slightly annoyed that Adrien was showing him up.

Adrien shrugged. "I was going to let you do it so you could improve your image, but I guess it just didn't work out."

Kyle scowled and Jordan snickered.

"Do you know if he was telling the truth when he said it?" Carol asked, clearly concerned that they might have the wrong address.

"He was telling the truth," Adrien said. "I could tell."

Nobody questioned him. Carol took a pen and paper and had Adrien say the address again so she could write it down. When she was done, she kept it in her hand.

"So, how are we doing this?" Carol asked.

"Kyle was asleep during this, but I'm guessing you guys were taken through the stairwell too on the way to your rooms, right?" Adrien asked.

Carol nodded. "Leader is on the bottom floor. And since this place has no windows, we're probably underground."

"It would be too risky to try and search the place for computers together," Kyle said. "We might run out of potions before we manage to reach Leader."

"So you think one of us should just go straight for him?" Carol asked.

"Yeah," Kyle replied. "Along with one more, in case they were to run into trouble on the way."

"So we're making two teams of two, here," Jordan said. "One to search the place for a computer, and one to head for Leader and take him down."

"I also wanted to look for the Pokemon they're holding captive here," Carol said. "So I'll be a part of the group that's looking for the computers."

Adrien turned to Kyle. "You have the login needed to contact the CPP, don't you?"

Kyle hesitated, then nodded

Kyle saw understanding in Adrien's face. "But you don't want that job, do you?" He asked.

Kyle shook his head, grinning. "No way. I'm heading straight for Leader."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jordan asked. "Your Pokemon isn't very strong compared to the rest of ours."

"It won't be that way for long," Kyle assured him.

Carol's eyes widened with happiness. "You're going to evolve it!" She said excitedly.

Kyle smiled at her and nodded. "I think it'll give me a much better chance of beating him."

"Well, give me your login, then," Carol said. "I'll use it and contact the guy you talk to."

Kyle wrote down his email and password underneath the address Carol had written on her piece of paper. Carol then folded it up and put it in her pocket.

"So Carol's searching the building and Kyle's heading down?" Jordan clarified. He turned to Adrien. "What do you want?"

Adrien shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Personally, I think it would be best for you to go with Carol since your Pokemon has the highest level out of all of us while her's is the lowest."

Jordan nodded. "Yeah, that sounds logical. And we'll probably be running into a lot of members. Fireball will be able to last for a while against them. Not to mention it'll be fun." He smiled as he said the last sentence.

"It's settled, then," Kyle said. "Adrien and I will head towards Leader while you guys roam the building to find a computer and free the other Pokemon."

Everyone was satisfied with this plan.

"We'll finish searching this floor, first," Carol said as they all stepped out of the room with the wrecked machine. "Then we'll work our way up, then back down. Good luck, you guys."

Adrien nodded and Kyle smiled as the four went their separate ways. The two boys headed for the stairwell while Carol and Jordan began walking in the opposite direction.

Kyle and Adrien entered the stairwell and began to descend. Echoes resounded each time one of them placed a foot down on a concrete step.

"Do you want me to help you fight him at all?" Adrien asked. "I'm assuming you want him to yourself."

That was exactly what Kyle wanted. He wished for him and Leader to battle one-on-one, no interference. He wanted to show the head of Team Dominion what the kid he had laughed at what capable of.

"Yeah, I do," Kyle said. "In case you feel like you'll have nothing to do, I'm sure we'll need to get rid of that other guy."

"Dream Eater, you mean?"

"Yeah, him," Kyle remembered the chill his Gengar gave just by being next to it.

_He might be an even bigger threat than Leader. _

"Anyway, I'll leave him to you, Kyle said. He continued to jog down the stairs as Adrien followed close behind.

"Sounds good to me," Adrien said.

* * *

Carol, Scarf, Jordan, and Fireball moved down the halls of the complex cautiously, but quickly. They didn't want to attract anyone directly, but they also wanted to get help fast.

Every room the four of them had checked thus far had been disappointing. Only about a third of them had computers, and of those, none of them had any connection. Carol was getting annoyed. How could a criminal organization have absolutely _no_ computers with Wi-Fi?

They finished checking the floor without any trouble. Carol was grateful for that, but Jordan didn't seem to share her feelings. They headed towards the stairwell and began to climb upward.

They didn't talk to each other much as they moved around the underground building. Carol decided not to make any small talk. She didn't really know what there was to talk about.

_So, are you having fun as we walk around this extremely dangerous environment?_ She could imagine herself asking. _Yeah, me too!_

Carol hid a sigh as she put her hand on the door to exit the stairwell onto the next floor. She pushed it upon and froze.

Waiting behind the door were six Pokemon and six black-clothed members of Team Dominion.

"There they are!" One of them said. "Take them down!"

Carol yelped and pulled the door shut with all her strength. Before she managed to close it completely, the Pokemon's attacks hit the opposite side of the metal door. The impact slammed the door closed and threw Carol back.

Carol cursed as she attempted to keep her balance. She remained on her feet and backed away a little farther from the door. Jordan and Fireball readied themselves, and Scarf slid off Carol's neck onto the floor.

The door didn't open again. Carol heard mutters from the other side, but nobody came through.

"They don't want to step through because they're afraid of getting ambushed," Jordan said quietly. Carol barely heard him.

"So, what do we do?" She asked, matching his volume.

"Well, did you see their Pokemon?" Jordan asked.

"Right, hang on," Carol said as she tried to remember. "There were six of them. There was an Abomasnow, a Dewgong, a Glalie, a Froslass, a Beartic, Cryogonal, and a Walrein."

"Those are all ice types, aren't they?" Jordan asked.

Carol nodded. "Yeah." Then she thought of something. "Actually, wait a sec." She walked over the door and began to open it.

"Are you insane?" Jordan hissed.

"Relax," she said, speaking at a normal voice now. She was pushing against the door, but it wasn't budging. "Six Pokemon just used Ice Beam on this door. It's frozen shut. That's why they're not opening it." She turned back to Jordan. "We're not getting through this door anytime soon."

"Well," Jordan said, looking around the stairwell. "This is as far up as it goes. We have to go down from here."

Carol nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Let's get going."

The two of them and their Pokemon traveled back down the stairwell and passed the other floor they had been on. When they reached the right door, Jordan walked up to and placed his hands on it.

Carol stopped him by holding the door shut. "I already tried being fast and careless," she said. "Let's be careful this time."

"I know, I know," Jordan said. He threw the door open.

Sure enough, there were six more Pokemon and six more members waiting for them outside the door.

_Man, are they just waiting for us on every floor? _Carol thought, annoyed.

She made a quick check of all the Pokemon they were facing. The group consisted of an Ampharos, an Electabuzz, a Magneton, a Zebstrika, a Heliolisk, and a Manectric. Electric types. No real advantage, no real disadvantage.

Of course, the members of Team Dominion did have a few disadvantages in this fight. For one, Jordan wasn't on their side. The kid and his Monferno battled like maniacs. Three of the electric Pokemon were already on their backs before they could react to them walking through the door.

Carol tried her best to keep up with him. There was only so much she and Scarf could do, which wasn't to say she was disappointed with her Pokemon. She had gotten incredibly lucky when Scarf had approached her on the beach. But sometimes she felt down when she saw the boys with their strong Pokemon.

But she knew when Scarf evolved, it would be time for a tremendous beatdown. But that day was still a little way off. For now, she would focus on the battle happening in front of her.

Jordan could take care of, and would probably want to take care of, about four of the Pokemon they were fighting against. That left two of them to Carol. She could handle that.

_Come to think of it,_ Carol thought, _these are all electric types. One of them was probably the one that killed that poor fellow back there._

Carol felt fear begin to manifest in her mind. She almost let it take control before firmly pushing it down. There was no time for that. Not unless she wanted to lose it all.

The Electabuzz, the Magneton, the Zebstrika, and the Heliolisk surrounded Fireball. Carol moved into the hall and ran away from everyone to put some make some more distance for fighting. She and Scarf turned around and saw the Ampharos and the Manectric, along with their trainers, approaching her. Scarf readied itself.

Carol wasn't going to wait for a Pokemon with the capability to harm humans to make the first move. "Twister!" She shouted.

Scarf threw its head around a whipped up a mini-tornado. It was almost as wide as the hallway. There was no avoiding it for her opponents. It tore at the bodies of the electric type Pokemon as the struggled to keep their footing. The Ampharos was eventually thrown against the wall, but the Manectric stayed where it was.

The Twister passed harmlessly through the two Team Dominion members. It dissipated before it hit the area where Jordan was battling, which relieved Carol while disappointing her at the same time. While it was good that Fireball wouldn't be damaged accidentally, she had hoped that maybe the Twister would do some damage to its opponents.

"Hit them with Discharge!" Manectric's trainer ordered.

Carol grimaced as Manectric began to charge up energy before releasing a powerful blast of electricity towards Scarf. It hit the Dratini making it convulse and shake.

_That's gonna leave some marks, _Carol thought. But though she didn't realize it, she had bigger things to worry about. The electricity blast moved past Scarf and continued its way towards Caol.

_Oh, shit._

When Carol hadn't yet met Kyle and she hadn't broken her friendships with the toxic girls she was friends with, one of them had offered her a piece of gum. Carol had obliged and tried to take one from the pack. The next moment, she was on the floor. The shock from the joke shock pack had startled her so much that she had fallen down.

That was the best way she could describe the feeling of Discharge passing over her. Like that same feeling with the shock gum, but _everywhere_, and more painful_. _Carol gasped in pain and fell to the ground. It hurt like nothing she had ever felt before.

When the wave passed, she laid on the ground, shaking. She didn't want to stand up, but she knew she had to. Her elbows wobbled as she pushed herself to her feet, but she managed to get back up. She took a few shaky steps backward, away from the fight.

The Team Dominion member who had ordered the Manectric grinned. "Hurts, doesn't it? I haven't felt the pain myself, but-"

"Oh, please," Carol interjected, the pain fueling her anger. "Just shut up and fight. I really don't care about any of your monologues right now."

The member's grin changed to a scowl. The Ampharos was back on its feet, now. Carol once again had to worry about two Pokemon at the same time, but that was nothing compared to what Jordan was dealing with.

_If he can do that, I can certainly do this at least._

"Power Gem!" Ampharos's trainer called out.

"Dodge it and use Wrap!" Carol said.

A beam of light shot out from the red gem on top of Ampharos's head. Scarf manipulated its own snakelike body to avoid the attack before slithering towards the electric type and wrapping its body around it's opponent's own.

"Use Thunder Fang!" Manectric's trainer shouted.

Manectric leaped towards Scarf and attempted to sink its electric-charged teeth into its body. Fortunately, the Dratini was able to move Ampharos enough so that it took the force of the attack instead. Ampharos squirmed in pain, but Scarf's grip was tight.

"You think you're clever, huh?" Manectric's trainer asked.

Carol had indeed thought that she was clever. She was confident in Scarf's ability to move about Ampharos so that even if Manectric ever did manage to hit it, at least it would hit its friend, too.

"Well, I wouldn't be so cocky," he pointed at Carol and ordered, "Discharge!"

Carol smiled. She didn't even have to say anything. Right before the order to attack had escaped the member's lips, Dratinin had whipped its head and used Twister against Manectric. Not seeing it coming since it was focused on Carol, the blue and yellow Pokemon was thrown against the wall by the attack.

Scarf could still use attacks while wrapping an opponent without the need to release it. It could still protect Carol from where it was. She wasn't just going to put down her only defense against oncoming attacks

The looks on the members' faces were priceless. "I mean, you guys _have_ been in a Pokemon battle before, right?" Carol asked. "I never would've guessed it."

* * *

Jordan was having a good time, and yet, he was also very much not having a good time.

He had decided to take on four opponents at once. He was confident that Carol was more than capable of taking care of two of them. He was less confident in his own abilities, however.

Their first encounter with the group of fire types had been simple. Jordan had only needed to take care of two Pokemon. Now it was twice the amount, and he didn't have any help in case he got in a bad spot. Which he was definitely in.

He had already defeated one of his opponents: Magneton. That had been the easy one to deal with. Its steel type had made dealing with it child's play for a fire/fighting hybrid like Fireball. One Mach Punch and one Flame Wheel left it down for the count.

Zebstrika and Heliolisk weren't huge issues. Fireball could fend them off relatively well. They'd most likely be defeated soon.

The main problem was Electabuzz. That Pokemon was quite the nuisance. It was nearly as strong as Fireball, and with the other to on its side, it created one annoying situation.

_I just need to whittle their numbers down,_ Jordan thought to himself. _Every time I do, the battle get's easier._

Jordan ordered Fireball to stop focusing on defense and go on the offensive, focusing on Zebstrika. The Monferno comprehended its trainer's orders and began to strike Zebstrika at every opening it received. It took a few hits in the process, but the result was worth it. Zebstrika was soon knocked out with a Mach Punch to the side of the head.

_Two to go. _Fireball was starting to move slower. Fighting with electric types did this to Pokemon, especially when physical attacks were used. Jordan had noticed this during the times he battled against Adrien's Pikachu.

Jordan felt his back touch something solid. He turned around and found a cement wall. He hadn't realized it, but his opponents had been driving him and his Pokemon backward this whole time.

_Alright, I'll show them how a cornered lion fights._

"Flame Wheel!" Jordan called. "Go for the Heliolisk on the right!"

Fireball obliged, cloaking its body in flames as it rushed towards the indicated Pokemon.

"Counter with Thunder!" Heliolisk's trainer ordered.

Heliolisk charged itself up for a moment before letting off a powerful blast of lightning. Fireball quickly evaded to the right, hitting the wall. It ricocheted off the surface of the wall and continued its charge towards its target, hitting it dead-on. Heliolisk crumpled to the floor. The member who owned it moved in and began to drag it away from the fighting to where all the other defeated members had gone.

_One left. _Jordan sidestepped to the right as the Thunder attack just barely missed his head. It crashed into the wall behind him, sending pieces of rubble in all directions. A few sharp pebbles hit Jordan's cheek, making marks that stung and throbbed.

He had managed to avoid being hit by any attacks, but that had been a close one. He had almost lost his head.

Jordan turned back to the battle to see that Fireball and the Electabuzz were now trading punches: Fireball's Mach Punches and Electabuzz's Thunderpunches. It was like watching a professional boxing match, except Jordan was pretty much betting his life on one contestant winning the match.

Electabuzz had weight behind its punches, but Fireball had agility and evasiveness. It weaved under and around Electabuzz's punches, landing three for every time Electabuzz landed one. It looked like Fireball had a win in the bag.

Then one of Electabuzz's punches hit Fireball in the right shoulder. Following that punch, Fireball went still and rigid as a stone. Electabuzz punched it again, this time knocking Fireball to the ground.

_What?_ Jordan thought. Then he felt his muscles contract. He inhaled sharply as his body failed him, causing him to fall and slump against the wall. _What's going on?_

The Electabuzz's trainer laughed and the Team Dominion members sitting on the sidelines cheered as they ran over to watch.

"Your Pokemon is paralyzed," Jordan's opponent explained. Then he commented on Jordan's condition. "What? Are you too stunned by your loss to stand?" He showed off his teeth with a vicious grin.

"You know," he went on, "I think I'll finish you off before your Pokemon. Any objections to me beating the kid to a pulp?"

There were none. Jordan tried to raise his hand for comedic purposes but couldn't do to his strange condition. He found it difficult to speak, as well.

"Well then," the member said, turning to his Electabuzz. "He's all yours, buddy."

Electabuzz seemed very pleased by this statement. It approached Jordan, who was still slumped against the wall and unable to move, as it raised its fist.

_Guess that's it, then. _Jordan sighed and closed his eyes.

As soon as his eyelids were shut, Jordan heard shouting from directly in front of him. He opened his eyes to find that the Team Dominion members standing right in front off him had somehow been scattered across the hall. None of them were moving. Jordan looked around and disbelief, trying to figure out what happened.

His eyes fell on Carol and her Dratini, who were moving towards him.

"Hey," she said. "I noticed you were having some trouble over here, so I decided I would lend a hand."

Jordan looked down the hall to see two more Team Dominion members and two more Pokemon on their sides and unconscious.

"How?" Jordan managed to ask.

Carol pointed at her Pokemon as she unzipped her bag and began to rummage through it. Jordan looked at the eel-like Pokemon and saw a strange device around its neck.

"Is that-?"

"Yeah," Carol said. "It's the thing that lets Pokemon hurt humans. Grabbed it off the Manectric once I beat it. I was against the idea at first, but then I realized our lives might depend on it."

"I guess mine did, in this case," Jordan said. "Thanks."

Carol eyed him. "You've changed a lot since back then."

Jordan snorted. "Tell me about it."

Carol produced a bottle from her bag. "What happened to you, anyway?"

"Oh, this?" Jordan asked, trying to indicate his unmoving body but failed due to the fact that his body, as stated before, couldn't move. "Don't know. Don't care. Just want to be done with it."

"Alright, I'll cure Fireball of paralysis, then we can figure out what to do with you." Carol went over to where Fireball was struggling to move. It was still conscious, at least. That was good.

Carol sprayed Fireball a few times with her potion, and the Pokemon slowly showed signs of being able to move normally again. As Jordan watched it all happen, he found that he was able to move his own body again. He stood, using the wall for support at first before taking his hand off when he thought he was ready. He felt fine.

Carol looked over at him. "You're better?"

Jordan nodded. "Yeah. I guess it was just a time thing."

"I guess so. Anyway, let's search the floor now. I don't want to wake these guys up while we're still here."

"Right," Jordan said. As they started to move down the hall, he heard a resounding noise from behind, followed by a small tremor passing through the ground. He and Carol both turned to see Fireball standing over the Electabuzz from before. It was lying unconscious in a different spot previously.

_Fireball must've seen its intent and took it out before it could do anything. _Jordan walked over to the fainted Electabuzz and leaned down.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. Fireball seemed very pleased with itself.

Jordan saw a similar device to the one that was on Carol's Dratini on Electabuzz's wrist. He detached it and instead placed it on Fireball's own wrist.

"There," he said. "I think the fights will be a little more even, now."

* * *

Kyle and Adrien walked down an empty gray corridor. Chu led the group while Eve guarded the rear in case they were assaulted from behind. Both of the boys knew that this was no time to be careless in any way.

At each intersection they came across, they hid behind cover and peeked around the corner. Each time they did, however, they found that there was nobody to concern themselves with. They were completely alone. The eerie silence was a contributor to Kyle's distress.

The other thing that contributed was the fact that he was alone with Adrien. Kyle was sad and a little frustrated with himself to admit, but he had always been nervous around Adrien since the day of the incident in the park. At school, at his house, and especially at the park. He didn't want what had happened to change how he viewed Adrien, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't.

What if Adrien were to suddenly lose control right then? He had seemed intent on actually killing Petal Dance. Could he try to kill Kyle, too? Would he be able to fight Adrien off? That would be ironic in this situation. Surrounded by criminals, and the one who killed him was his friend.

Kyle was shaken from his thoughts as Adrien raised an arm and pointed at an intersection in front of them. "That's it," he said. "Leader's room is to the right and down that hall."

Kyle nodded. "Right." They repeated the scouting procedure Kyle pressed his body against the wall and slide alongside it until his eye was just past the corner. He examined the hallway to the right before whipping his head back behind cover.

"Did you see something?" Adrien asked quietly.

"It's that guy," Kyle said. "The one with the Gengar." He leaned his head past the corner again to get a better look.

The hallway went down about fifty feet before stopping at a door. Leaning against that door was Dream Eater. He had one hand in his pocket while the other was tossing a Dominance ball to itself. His blonde head was down, so Kyle could only see the top of it.

"Well there's not much we can do here, is there?" Adrien asked. He was implying something, and Kyle caught on.

Kyle sighed. "I guess not." He stepped out into the open. Adrien and the Pokemon followed him.

Dream Eater didn't look up.

_Well, _Kyle thought, disappointed. _I was actually hoping that us stepping out into the opening would be a cool and dramatic moment, but it's whatever. We can do it like this._

Kyle began to walk forward. As soon as he had taken three steps, Dream Eater snapped his head up. Kyle froze despite himself.

"I guess you're here, then," Dream Eater noted.

"Yup," Kyle said. Eve moved in front of him and prepared itself for battle. "Want to get right into it?"

Dream Eater gazed a Kyle for a moment, then at Adrien. Then at their Pokemon. He sighed.

"As much as I would like to," He said regretfully, "Leader would be pretty upset if I beat you to dust and didn't give him a turn. He's like that. So I'll just have to settle for one of you."

He pointed at Kyle. "I know he _really _wants to go up against you." He turned to look at Adrien. "And I've known who I want to fight the most for a while now."

Dream Eater put a hand behind him and opened the door, stepping out of the way.

"You can go by if you want to," he said. "I recommend it. Fighting him won't be as painful for you as fighting me."

Kyle turned to Adrien though he had already made up his mind. His friend nodded reassuringly.

That was all Kyle needed. He and Eve walked forward and past Dream Eater through the door that was being held open for him. Kyle watched in case the Team Dominion member decided to trick him and make a move, but nothing happened. Dream Eater kept his eyes fixed on Adrien as Kyle passed him.

When he was through the door, it shut behind him. Kyle only guessed that, anyway. He didn't actually hear it close. He was too focused on the man in front of him.

Leader gave Kyle an enormous grin and stood up from his couch. He had a small bag with him. Kyle couldn't tell what was inside.

"I cannot describe in words how happy I am at the moment," Leader said.

"Your happiness isn't something I find myself concerning myself with," Kyle said.

Leader chuckled. "Well then, let's talk about something you _do _care about then," he said. "Like what's happened since we spoke last."

Kyle shrugged. "Not much to talk about. A friend got me out of that prison cell. We kicked the asses of some of your grunts. We destroyed your Dominance ball machine. We found someone one of your guys killed next to it. Then we split up. I came straight here."

"Wait," he said. "Did you just call my soldiers 'grunts?'"

"Seems appropriate."

Leader laughed. "It certainly does. I like it." Then he sighed. "But I can't say I like that you destroyed that machine. It was a real bitch to pay for, I hope you know that."

"Where do you get all of your money, anyway?" Kyle asked, genuinely curious. "Those grunts have to be getting paid somehow, or else they wouldn't be working for you."

Leader waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, you know. Robbery. Illegal stuff like that. A lot of it." He suddenly frowned. "But I have to ask you another question. You said one of my grunts was killed."

"Yeah," Kyle said, angry that Leader was acting the way he was about it. "Right next to the machine. He was killed by a Pokemon's attack. That has you guys written all over it."

Leader's frown grew deeper. "Our trans-attacks cannot kill yet. We're still working on that. Whatever you saw, it wasn't caused by one of us."

Kyle shook his head. "No way. You're lying."

Leader smiled. "Dear Judgement, I would never lie about this. If I _had _killed him, I would be telling you with pride in my voice."

Kyle gritted his teeth. There was no way someone in Team Dominion was a part of the killing. There was just no possible way.

_I can't believe- _

Memories flashed in Kyle's mind. Adrien losing control. Him throwing his Poke ball and expecting Chu to kill Petal Dance. Chu not listening to anything anyone said to stop it. Kyle feeling like Chu actually _was _going to kill Petal Dance.

The pieces were there. Chu was an electric type, capable of using Thunderbolt. Adrien had been the one to find everybody, providing no explanation as to how he had escaped. Kyle was beginning to find it hard to defend Adrien.

"There's no way..." Kyle breathed. He realized he was sweating. "No… I can't…"

Leader turned his head sideways. "It seems like you just figured something out," he said. "Don't ask how I know. I just do. Care to fill me in? I know we're enemies and all, but..."

Anger flashed inside of Kyle. "No!" He shouted. Leader raised his eyebrows and backed away. "I know it was you! Don't try to deny it so you don't get charged with murder when they take you in!"

Leader paused for a second while Kyle let off a little bit of his steam. "Well, it seems like we're ready. Now that we're at this point, I propose a wager."

Kyle growled. Playing a game with this guy was the last thing he wanted to do, but his rationality was telling him to at least hear him out. "Fine. What's your wager?"

"I won't use a trans-attack. I'll also use a Pokemon that's an equal level to yours, with no type advantages or disadvantages. We'll have a good old-fashioned Pokemon battle. No imbalance. No tricks." He waited for Kyle to acknowledge what he had said so far.

"Go on."

"If you win," Leader continued, "I'll admit defeat. I'll turn myself in and give everything I've taken back to the CPP, if I can." Leader smiled. "But if I win, you give me your Pokemon, walk quietly back to your room, lock the door, and stay there until I find you of some use to me."

Kyle considered his options. It was actually a favorable way to do things. He didn't stand a chance while Leader's Pokemon could harm him. He could also pull out a Pokemon that was a higher level than what Eve was at now, even with the candy. If he lost, he would lose it all, but he had known from the beginning what he was risking.

"Okay," Kyle said. "That works."

Leader nodded appreciatively. "Good." He opened his bag and put his hand inside. "What level is your Pokemon? Remember that if you lie, I'll know."

Kyle did some quick mental math. "Seventy-six."

Leader perked up excitedly. "Really?"

Kyle nodded, confused as to why Leader was so enthusiastic.

"That's perfect," Leader said. "My favorite happens to be that same level." He pulled a labeled Dominance ball out of his bag. Leader examined the label before grinning. "Yup, this is it." He unlocked it and opened it.

A Pokemon materialized at the bottom of the steps that led up to Leader's couch. It was certainly nothing like any Pokemon Kyle had ever seen before. It was shaped like a dog, which was about as similar to some other Pokemon as it got. Its front legs were the legs of a bug while its back legs seemed normal. Instead of a tail, it had a blue and gray fin. On its head was what looked like a helmet with an axe-shaped object on it. Kyle hadn't seen the species before today.

"You're probably wondering what it is," Leader said. "I found it at a CPP. Those devils were experimenting to make weapons for war. Sad, honestly. People will always take gifts and use them as a means to gain power."

"Isn't that what you're doing?" Kyle asked, sensing irony.

Leader looked flabbergasted. "What? Of course not. I do it for fun." Then he smirked. "I also like to impress those that watch me."

The strange-looking Pokemon stamped its feet against the ground, ready for battle.

"They didn't even give it a proper name," Leader said. "They just called it Type: Null. I've called it Null for short until I can come up with something better."

Kyle was going up against an opponent even in strength. The tides could tip either way. The decider of the battle would be the ability of the trainers themselves.

Kyle reached into his pocket and felt the ice and leaf stones he had stored there. The winner of a fight always had an ace up their sleeve.


	25. Battles Of Varying Types

**Battles Of Varying Types**

* * *

_Whenever something weaker than itself stood in its way…_

_It was cut down and cast aside._

_All but myself._

_Not even I could defeat it._

_Only banish it._

* * *

Dream Eater closed the door after Judgment. He never took his eyes off the boy who called himself Shadow Force. He might be a simple child, but Dream Eater could tell that there was more to this kid than meets the eye. He didn't know what exactly quite yet, but he was getting a vibe that was unmistakable.

Shadow Force held his gaze calmly. He seemed very comfortable, given his position. Wasn't he scared? Wasn't he afraid of the pain he was about to receive?

_Then again, _Dream Eater thought. _I've fought so many battles with a trans-attack. It gave me an advantage. Suddenly, I don't want that advantage anymore. Not against this kid, at least._

It wasn't that Dream Eater didn't want to hurt the boy. He was in no way worried about that. He simply thought it would be too easy for his Gengar to slip past his Pikachu's guard and hit him with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep. That would make the task of defeating Pikachu an incredibly effortless task. Dream Eater knew from experience that a Pokemon without a trainer was not half as effective in a battle.

Dream Eater didn't want this battle to be easy. Phillip would definitely be able to beat Judgment. The difference in battling prowess there was significant. The other two roaming around the building were outnumbered, so they would eventually be captured as well. This was probably the only real battle Dream Eater would get for a long while. He wanted to make the most of it.

"Should we get started?" Shadow Force asked. Dream Eater sensed a tiny amount of eagerness in his voice, so slight he had almost disregarded it.

Dream Eater paused. The boy _wanted _to battle with him. Judgment had gone straight to business as well, but there was more determination in his words than anticipation. Like Dream Eater was only an obstacle to him. A tough one, for sure, but only a blockade.

Shadow Force had a different mindset. He didn't care at all about getting past. He didn't care if he made it in time to help his friend deal with Phillip. He was in it for the thrill of the fight. The thought of it sparked something inside Dream Eater, something that had been inactive for a long time.

"Would you like me to remove the trans-attack from my Gengar?" Dream Eater asked. "It's the thing that allows me to harm you," He clarified.

Shadow Force blinked. "Why would you offer that?" He asked, looking puzzled.

It was Dream Eater's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, wouldn't you want to use everything at your disposal to stop me?" Shadow Force asked. "Isn't that the most efficient way to get rid of me?"

Dream Eater sighed. "Kid, I'll be honest. I'm really bored. I don't want advantages anymore. I want an even fight. It creates more suspense and excitement."

Shadow Force shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean." He averted his eyes as he thought for a moment in silence. After the moment had passed he looked back up at Dream Eater. "How many do you have?"

"What?"

"Trans-attacks. How many?"

Phillip had given every member only one device each in order to preserve resources. However, a special case was made for Dream Eater. Phillip had explained that it was possible for the devices to break if a battle became too intense, so he had given Dream Eater a spare, which he kept in his pocket next to Midnight's Dominance Ball in case he ever needed it. He hadn't.

Dream Eater dug into his pocket and pulled out the spare trans-attack. "Two," he replied.

Shadow Force held out his hands as if he expected Dream Eater to just toss it to him.

"What, you want me to get rid of one of my best weapons against you?" He asked lazily.

"Wouldn't it be more fun?" Shadow Force asked. "If we both had trans-attacks, we could go for each other as well as our Pokemon. That would make the game more intense, don't you think?"

_The game._ That was what he had said. This was all just a game to him. He was doing this just for sport.

"These things don't tickle, you know," Dream Eater cautioned. "You'll definitely have some scars afterward."

_Why am I concerned? That's not like me._

The answer was clear, of course. Dream Eater just couldn't see it yet. At least, not until he saw what Shadow Force did next. Standing there, with his hands in the pockets of his black jacket. In a relaxed and casual posture.

The boy smiled.

It was in no way a smile that warmed the heart of the standard person. It was hideous to look at. It wasn't the smile of a boy who was going to an amusement park. It wasn't the smile of a man who had just found out that the love he had for a woman was requited.

It was the smile of the devil, coming to a world where he was free to do as he wished. It was the smile of the insane man as he prepared himself for pain. It was an eerie and creepy smile, one that would leave a small child with bad dreams for the night.

It was seeing that smile that gave Dream Eater his answer as to why he was concerned. He returned the smile at first, then began to laugh wholeheartedly. It echoed across the corridor, bouncing off the cement walls. He hadn't laughed in a while. Then again, he hadn't had much to laugh about.

But this was something new and different. For the first time in his life, Dream Eater was looking at a person he felt a connection with. It was because this boy was _him._

That was why he had been worried. Dream Eater had never felt such a bond with someone, and the two hadn't even known each other long or talked to each other much. He didn't want to harm the boy.

But he had been foolish. Of course Shadow Force would want this. It was, after all, the only thing Dream Eater knew that could make the battle as entertaining as possible.

Dream Eater tossed the trans-attack to Shadow Force, who caught it easily. He leaned down and placed it on his Pikachu. The Pokemon seemed slightly reluctant at first to what was about to happen, but Dream Eater could tell it wasn't because it worried about hurting another person. It was only worried about its trainer and what he was getting himself into.

Shadow Force consoled his Pokemon, who eventually accepted how things would be transpiring from then on. He straightened his back and nodded to Dream Eater.

Dream Eater removed the Dominance ball from his pocket and opened it. Midnight materialized in the empty space in front of him, ready to fight. Dream Eater had changed one of its moves since he had fought last, something he was grateful for. If he had kept the move Thunderbolt, it wouldn't have done him much good in this battle, as Pikachu was an electric type. It had replaced the old move with Poison Jab.

The trainers stepped back from their Pokemon. Dream Eater's back was two inches from the door, but the Pokemon still had a lot of space to battle. It might be hard for them to get past their opponent and strike the trainer, but that was the whole fun of the game. That was what the outcome of the battle rested on.

Dream Eater and Shadow Force watched each other silently and Dream Eater felt another pulse of connection and understanding.

_One might think it would be better if we weren't enemies, _Dream Eater thought to himself. _Personally, I believe that's the part about this that makes it the most fun. Neither of us can afford to lose. Doing so would not only hurt our pride but our bodies as well._

The two grinned at each other and called out moves simultaneously.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Shadow Ball!"

* * *

Eve and Null danced around each other while their trainers evaluated their opponent's strength. Neither of them were landing any attacks, the were simply jumping and feinting. They were getting a feel for how the other Pokemon moved.

"Let's leave them to it for a while," Leader said. "They want to get to know each other before they start going all out. Besides, I want to tell you about the game I created for you and your friends."

Kyle didn't take his eyes off the battle in front of him. He suspected that Leader wanted to distract him so that there was an opportunity to land a heavy strike. In a situation like this, Kyle couldn't afford to be careless.

Leader didn't seem to mind that Kyle kept watching the fight. He talked anyway.

_Great, this is probably going to end up being some huge monologue, _Kyle thought tiredly.

"I put my ice-type grunts on the top floor," Leader explained. "I know you weren't trying to escape, but I thought I'd put them there in case your friends showed up. They have orders to use Ice Beam on anyone who comes out of the stairwell. If your friends aren't quick enough, they'll be frozen solid. If they are, then at least the door will be frozen shut, giving you nowhere to run if things become dire."

This caught Kyle's attention and his focus slipped slightly. _They said they would go up first. Have they reached that point by now?_ Kyle shook his head and cleared his mind. _He's trying to get me to lose my concentration so he can take advantage of it. I can't let him. _

"I also know you would probably want to contact help," Leader continued. "Now, _this_ is where it gets interesting. I shut down the connection of all the computers in the building, save for mine and one other room. I wonder if you'll be able to find that room? I certainly don't think you'll get to use these computers since you're going to lose." Then he chuckled. "And even if your friends do find that room, they'll have two full teams waiting for them. I wonder how they'll fare"

Kyle kept his mind mostly steady, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious once again. _Why would he do things like this? _He wondered. _Making the match even. Giving us a fighting chance. Is he mocking us? Or is he just that bored?_

Kyle didn't respond to anything Leader said. The boss of Team Dominion didn't say any more about his game.

Null swung its head around, trying to strike Eve with the structure on its head, but the brown-furred Pokemon ducked below the swing and pushed itself forward to bite one of Null's legs. The strange Pokemon moved out of the way just in time and fell into a defensive stance.

Things kept going like this. After a few moments of silence from the two trainers, Kyle was beginning to feel uneasy.

_Is he going to call out a move? _He wondered nervously. _Should I call out a move and try to catch him off guard? Should I-_

"Air Slash!" Leader called.

_Damn! I wasn't paying attention!_

Null leaned its head forward and to one side.

_It's going to make a horizontal slashing motion, _Kyle deduced. "Jump!"

Eve followed its trainer's reasoning and leaped straight up into the air. Kyle saw that he had been right as Null moved its head in a horizontal arc, creating a thin blade of air that shot towards Eve with the speed of a falling raindrop. It missed the bottom of Eve's feet by a hair's breadth. Kyle sighed with relief that his distraction hadn't cost him anything.

"Tri-attack!" Leader called.

_What?_

Null didn't waste any time following up its previous move with another. It snapped its head up from the position it had ended when it had used Air Slash. Three beams of energy, each one varying in color, shot from Null's helmet and flew towards Eve like geysers.

Eve continued to hang in the air. Since it didn't have its feet on the ground, it couldn't do anything to avoid the attack. Kyle cringed as the three beams simultaneously hit Eve mid-air and threw it backward. The Eevee tumbled to the ground in a heap.

_Most Pokemon need time to switch from one move to another, _Kyle thought. _But this one switches between moves faster than any Pokemon I've ever seen. _It was a great advantage for Leader to have, and a major disadvantage for Kyle.

Kyle wanted to think that he had a few tricks of his own, but all he really had were the evolution stones. Nothing else that he could do to gain an advantage over Leader came to his mind. He couldn't even use one of Eve's moves, Sand Attack, because there was no dirt or sand in this room to use.

_I need time to think of a strategy, _Kyle thought as he concentrated. _Crap, I should've done this earlier._

Leader wasn't wasting any more time now to talk or to let their Pokemon dance around each other. Kyle didn't get a chance to think of anything that might help him before Leader ordered his Pokemon to use its next attack.

"Iron Head!"

Eve was on its feet in time to see Null charging forward, head pointed at its target. It was able to dodge the attack, however. While the movement might not have been graceful due to blow it had taken just moments before, it saved the Eevee from being hit again.

_An opening! _"Now, counterattack with Bite!"

Kyle hadn't even said the first word before Leader voiced another command.

"Lean out of the way and use X-scissor!"

Eve moved in to bite it's opponent's leg, but when its teeth clamped down, they only met the other set of teeth. Null had moved just as far as it needed to avoid the attack. Eve was completely exposed, and Null used this to raise both of its front legs and slash its claws in an X pattern across Eve's body. The Pokemon cried out in pain.

_Dammit! Come on! _Kyle was growing increasingly frustrated and anxious at the same time. He needed to start turning things around, but his mind was still racing to find a solution. The foresight Leader had made an annoyingly effective combo when combined with his Pokemon's speed.

Kyle was finally hit with an idea. It wasn't really a strategy as much as it was a theory. _If I can just use his foresight against him, make him believe something is going to happen before changing my plan at the last second… _

"X-scissor, again!" Leader ordered.

Null lifted its front legs to strike again in the X pattern. While it did this, it left its balance on its back legs and left its entire front exposed.

"Move in and use Double Kick!" Kyle shouted.

It was clear that Eve was fighting through pain as it dashed forward and underneath Null's front legs. However, as Kyle had been calling out his order, Leader had once again been a step ahead.

"Use your hind legs and jump backward!" He shouted. "Catch it with X-scissor on your landing!"

Null did as its trainer commanded, pushing itself away into the air and away from Eve's attack. At least, away from where Eve's attack would've hit if Kyle hadn't been prepared for something.

"Keep running and use Bite on it in the air!" Kyle shouted before Null's back feet left the ground.

Eve didn't show any confusion or puzzlement at the change in the way it was attacking. It continued running forward as Null leaped into the air. Eve jumped to follow it and sank its teeth into Null's chest. The sound of the Pokemon's cry was muffled by its bulky helmet.

Kyle grinned. _There we go. Now we're in business. _

Leader raised his eyebrows. "Well, it seems you can pull a few things out of your sleeve," he commented. Despite his facial expression, he sounded unimpressed. "But can you keep up?"

Null placed its front paws on Eve's backside and drove the other Pokemon into the ground as the landed, pinning it down. It then threw its head back and swung it down. Eve's legs gave out from the force of the attack as it was flattened underneath its opponent. Null then raised its legs again, claws glowing. It was using X-scissor again.

"Get out of there!" Kyle shouted.

Eve's legs shook as it stood, but it managed to dart away from Null's follow-up attack. However, it still sustained a small scratch from one of Null's claws.

Eve dashed backwards to where Kyle stood to regain its energy. There were claw marks and bruises all over its body, which was rising and falling shakily as it breathed. It looked as if it would fall over at any moment.

_It can't afford to take many more hits._ Kyle slung his bag off his shoulders and opened it. He stuck his hand inside and search until he found what he was looking for. He found a purple spray bottle and called to Eve. His Pokemon limped over, keeping an eye on Null, so its trainer could tend to its wounds.

Leader rolled his eyes as he watched Kyle spray Eve's body.

"I guess I'll let you recover," he said. "It wouldn't be as fun if the battle didn't last long, anyway."

Kyle wanted to growl, but Leader was right for treating him as a weaker opponent. After all, he was.

_I planned on using this later, _Kyle thought, feeling around for the stones in his pocket. _But I need to gain the upper hand somehow. _He alternated his fingers around the gritty leaf stone and cold ice stone. Finally, he settled on the Ice Stone and pulled it out of his pocket.

Leader tilted his head when he saw it. Then he smiled a little. "Oh, yes. I was hoping you had one of those on hand. It might make things more challenging for me."

Kyle ignored Leader's insults and held the stone out to Eve. The Pokemon hesitated for only a second as it placed one paw upon the stone.

The stone evaporated into glittering particles and Eve began to glow. All of its features became indiscernible as Kyle backed away. The Pokemon's shape began to change next. It grew a little larger and its tail became longer and less bushy. Two long strips descended from the top of its head like bangs.

The light dulled, and in the Eevee's place, a Glaceon now stood.

Its turquoise color was beautiful. The strips hanging down from its head swung around is it turned to face Null. They, along with its tail, were shaped like ice shards. Overall, it looked incredibly elegant.

Leader smiled. "Shall we continue, then?"

* * *

Jordan was getting annoyed with his and Carol's luck. They hadn't found a single working computer throughout this entire place, nor had they found where all the stolen Pokemon were stored. Not to mention they hadn't come across any more adversities to deal with. He had hoped they would find some when they opened the door to this floor, but there had been none.

Still, he had a little bit of hope left. They were beginning to narrow their search. That meant that they would encounter an opponent sometime sooner or later at least, as well as find the room filled with Pokemon. As for calling help…

Well, hopefully, they would find a working computer around here somewhere, eventually.

Fireball seemed to be itching for another battle, too. It seemed excited that it had gained the power to hurt humans. Jordan hoped it was for the reasons involving Team Dominion and nothing more sinister than that.

Carol groaned as they found another computer that didn't turn on.

"Come on!" She complained. She turned to Jordan. "At this point, I don't know if there are _any _computers here that work. They probably shut them all down."

Jordan shrugged. "There wouldn't be any point to abandoning the task," he said. "We might miss an actual working one if we do."

Carol nodded. "Yeah, I know. This is just getting a little tedious, is all."

The four moved down the hall to the next door. Jordan had noticed that most of them had names on them. They most likely belonged to Team Dominion members, seeing as how the ones with names had bed areas inside of them. When he had realized this, he had made sure Fireball was aware in case a member decided to pop out like the ones from the stairwell.

Carol tried the door. To their surprise, it was locked. None of the others had been locked, which should've been more surprising than what they were experiencing now.

"Here, let us," Jordan offered. Carol moved away from the door and Fireball stepped up to it. "Mach Punch!"

Fireball pulled back a glowing fist and aggressively punched the door. Though the attack had been powerful, the door didn't budge.

_What the… _"Try again."

Fireball did so and achieved the same result as before. The door didn't even show signs of having been punched.

"Whatever," Carol said. "Let's just moved on to the next door."

This one was locked as well. Jordan tried to make Fireball punch it again to no avail. They even tried Flame Wheel, which only accomplished everything Mach Punch had.

Jordan sighed frustratingly. "Fine, on to the next."

Jordan tried to open the door this time. He wrapped his hand around the knob and twisted. To his delight, the door obeyed his touch. Jordan pulled it outward.

"Fina-"

There was a flash of light followed by a sudden blast that threw Jordan backward, causing his back hit the opposite wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him. He fell to his hands and knees and began to wheeze.

_Pain._

"Jordan!" Carol exclaimed. She rushed over to check on him, but Jordan waved her off as he stood. His knees and back hurt, but especially his back. His spine was struggling to support him.

Jordan looked towards the door he had opened and saw a Pokemon that looked like a large owl appeared in the doorway. A Noctowl. Behind it was a smirking woman.

"Hey there," she greeted. "Are you enjoying your stay?"

The two doors Jordan and Carol had failed to open suddenly did just that, along with a few other doors in the area they hadn't gotten to yet. Men and women wearing black stepped out, along with Pokemon. Jordan did a quick scan and found that there were Psychic types _and _Poison types. Two full squads.

They were caved in on both sides, cutting off any escape. Jordan let his instincts kick in and turned to one side. Carol thankfully saw what he was trying to do and turned to face the opposite side, putting them back-to-back.

_This isn't a battle we can win,_ Jordan thought. _We just need to weaken them a little and then shift all of our focus to one side. Hopefully, we can break through with that method._

The woman who owned the Noctowl sighed when she saw their formation. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. "This many trans-attacks at once will cause a lot of pain, you know. We could just take you in."

Jordan looked around again. On his side, he saw the woman and the man who had brought him there in the van. The woman looked especially eager to beat his ass.

Jordan grinned despite his situation. "Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

* * *

_Dammit, Jordan. Sure, we don't want to get recaptured, but you don't have to act so eager to feel pain. _Carol remembered the feeling when Manectric's Discharge had passed over her. She was in no way looking forward to getting hit by another Pokemon attack, much less eleven of them.

"Flame Wheel!

Carol heard the sounds of shouting from behind her, but they weren't coming from Jordan. She smiled.

_Here we go, then. _

"Hit them all with Twister!" Carol shouted.

Scarf threw a tornado down the hall towards the enemies in front of her. About half of them were wiped out by the force of the Twister. Humans and Pokemon were thrown against walls and knocked to the ground.

The ones that remained unaffected launched their attacks against her and Scarf.

"Air Cutter!"

"Sludge!"

"Psycho Cut!"

A Crowbat, a Muk, and a Gallade all sent their attacks toward Scarf and Carol. While Gallade and Muk's attacks were targeted toward Scarf, in particular, Crobat's Air Cutter seemed to be aimed directly toward Carol.

Carol dropped to the floor as a razorlike wind passed overhead. She felt relief at dodging the attack then began to panic as she realized that unlike her, Jordan wasn't in the clear. Unable to see the attack, the razors cut into his back and arms. He grunted and staggered before whipping around, growling.

Carol's eyes widened as she saw members behind Jordan attempting to take advantage of his distraction. Some of them were occupying Fireball, which left the rest with an opportunity.

A Skuntank and a Salazzle were both aiming attacks at the unaware boy. Carol jumped to her feet.

"Scarf, use-"

Carol turned and saw that Scarf was currently locked into a battle with three Pokemon at once. It was getting tossed around and didn't look like it would be able to do much given its current situation. However, it seemed it would be able to hold its own for a little longer without Carol's help.

Recognizing she had limited options, she threw herself between the Jordan and his attackers. As she passed him, he began to look confused before realization crossed his face and his eyes widened to twice their usual size.

Jordan was important. He couldn't afford to be taken out. His Pokemon was too strong to afford losing it.

Carol, however, was weak. She was expendable. It wasn't much of a difficult choice, really. She just wished it didn't have to involve so much pain.

Salazzle used Dragon Rage. From its mouth came a series of shock waves that rattled Carol's body and inflicting pain that had been worse than what Discharge had dealt. She tried to catch her breath throughout the experience, but she only succeeded in inhaling the poison gas Skuntank had blasted towards her. Carol coughed uncontrollably and her lungs burned. Soon, the pain became too much, and she collapsed on the ground, the world fading to black.


	26. Prison Break

**Prison Break**

* * *

_However, this new phenomenon worries me._

_It had never decided to take a vessel before._

_Does that mean it knows the strength of the bond?_

* * *

Jordan watched in awe as Carol slumped to the ground within the cloud of poisonous gas. She looked to be in great pain and discomfort before she passed out. His surprise turned to confusion, then to rage.

_Why?!_ _Why risk yourself like that?_

Jordan snarled like a wild animal. He felt the adrenaline begin to pump through his body, causing the pain in his body to fade.

"Fireball! Flame Wheel! Now!" Jordan shouted. He gave the command without any indication as to who Fireball should target. He didn't really care.

The Monferno seemed to hold the same hostility Jordan himself was feeling. Fireball cloaked itself and fire and began to recklessly and angrily slam itself against the Pokemon occupying it. Surprisingly, it worked better than the fighting style Fireball had been using before. Three Pokemon dropped to the ground, defeated.

Now that it had some room to move, it stayed on fire and rushed towards Salazzle and Skuntank. Skuntank was dropped immediately from the impact of Fireball's Flame Wheel.

Salazzle saw its teammate fall before it and was given time to prepare. It swiftly dodged out of the way as Fireball's body flew past it and slammed into the wall. Jordan felt the entire building shake from the impact. Fireball's flames faded.

Salazzle moved quickly, pinning Fireball against the damaged wall. The fire-type struggled and thrashed against the fire-poison hybrid, but was unable to free itself. With its opponent subdued and vulnerable, Salazzle opened its maw and breathed purple gas directly into its face.

Fireball began to sputter and choke. Its body began to show signs of a clear deficit of strength. Its attempts of escaping the hold Salazzle had on it were weaker. It began to look tired and sick as it slumped against the arms of its opponent.

Jordan began to feel a little sick, as well. His head began to spin and he found himself on his knees a few moments later. This only spiked Jordan's annoyance, as not only was the timing inconvenient, but he had no clue as to why he might be feeling sick now. However, his annoyance faded to fatigue when his sudden illness began to persist.

Jordan's vision was beginning to blur, so he barely saw Fireball thrown to the ground in front of him. It pushed itself to its hands and knees but didn't go past that margin. It didn't look like it would be fighting much longer.

"What's wrong?" Jordan heard a voice say. "Is your obvious defeat making you feel upset?"

Jordan turned his head and looked up at the woman with the Noctowl. She hadn't made any move to fight, for some reason. She could have easily picked them off from where she was.

The noise of conflict next to Jordan was cut off. A moment later, Carol's Dratini was also thrown onto the ground. The serpent-like Pokemon lay completely limp. The number of able Pokemon on their side had suddenly dropped significantly.

Jordan opened his mouth to speak. However, instead of words, bile came rushing out of his mouth, spilling onto the floor. He heard several complaints from the people around him. Jordan immediately positioned his head so that he was throwing up away from where Carol lay unconscious.

"Come on! Nobody wants to clean that up!"

Jordan turned his head in the general direction he had heard that second voice. It had sounded male, so he faced one guy in the area and formed a gesture with his hand holding it up for him to see.

Jordan heard a growl and something that sounded like the beginning of an order to attack, but he was saved by Notowl's trainer.

"Enough," she said. "They've both had enough. Take them back to their rooms."

"No!" Jordan shouted. He came to his feet then, staggering to keep his balance. "You still haven't finished me off yet. I'm still fighting."

Jordan watched as multiple members produced small vials of purple liquid from their pockets and began to give them to their Pokemon. Potions.

The Noctowl's trainer sighed. "Look, kid," she said. "Your Monferno's badly poisoned. We all have potions. You can't try to heal because you have nobody left to cover you. It's over. Just give it up."

Jordan kept quiet while he racked his brain. It gave him a headache to do so, but he had to think of a plan, now.

_We're severely outnumbered, _he thought, _even with our buffed up Pokemon. We need reinforcements. Unfortunately, the only way to get some is by calling the CPP. And even if we did, it'd take them a while to-_

As an idea suddenly came to Jordan, he didn't have to struggle to hide his excitement from the enemies around him. His odd sickness had drained him of the energy to show strong facial expressions. Despite this, he believed he had enough strength to pull off his new plan.

_It wasn't on any other floor, so far. We haven't finished searching through this one, either. If it's on this floor, and I can find it..._

Fireball looked expectantly at its trainer, waiting for orders. Jordan found it incredibly miraculous and convenient at times that Fireball seemed to always know exactly what was going through Jordan's head. It never hesitated when Jordan gave it an unexpected order.

_One large burst of power, _Jordan thought, preparing himself. _That's all we need. _He looked at Carol. He didn't think he had the strength to carry her or her unconscious Dratini. _I'm sorry._

"Flame Wheel!"

Fireball bounded past Jordan towards the Pokemon and members that had taken out Dratini. Their eyes widened in surprise as Fireball barreled through them like a battering ram, creating an opening.

Jordan wasted no time as he scrambled after his Pokemon, doing his best to stay upright. He left Carol and Scarf behind. He felt a pit form in his stomach as he did so, making him grit his teeth.

_I'm sorry._

The members of Team Dominion found themselves a few moments after Fireball stunned everyone. Several launched attacks in Jordan's direction. He quickly threw himself around a corner at an intersection in the hallway. He heard a few splashes of poison, some blades of air, and a single fireball hit the wall between him and his attackers.

Jordan heard incoherent shouting, followed by the sound of running footsteps. He increased his speed, matching his Pokemon's. His head was throbbing immensely and he felt bile forming in his stomach and throat.

_Please, let it be close, _Jordan prayed. _Come on._

He and Fireball came to a door. The Pokemon punched it inward and Jordan looked through. Nothing. Just an ordinary room. They moved on to the next one and discovered that it was no different.

_Come on! Please!_

The ones chasing after him and Fireball were rapidly closing the distance, which wasn't as surprising as it was alarming. The two of them were incredibly weak at the moment. They tried to keep their speed up as they checked doors and turned through corridors.

Attacks narrowly missed Jordan's body, either falling short or flying past. At one point, a Flamethrower attack went past his right shin, igniting part of his jeans. Jordan knew if he tried to put it out, it would slow him down, so he simply kept running as fast as he could manage.

Just as Jordan thought he was going to collapse, he saw a picture painted on a door. It wasn't very good, but there was no mistaking what it was. It was a classic, red and white Poke ball.

_There!_

He didn't even need to tell Fireball. The Monferno punched down this door with more intensity than he had with the other doors they had come across.

Someone must have realized what Jordan was planning. "Stop him! Stop him now!" He heard a voice shout angrily and frantically.

Jordan stumbled past Fireball into the room and looked around wildly. Wires were everywhere on the ground, all of them connected to various machines that lined the walls, as well as a single computer at the center of the room.

Jordan heard the sounds of a battle outside the room. He turned and saw brief glimpses of Fireball struggling against at least five Pokemon at once, depending on how many had decided to stay with Carol.

_It's trying to buy me time, _Jordan realized. He smiled a little before his expression hardened. _Meaning I can't afford to waste any. _His pants continued to burn. He felt the heat on his leg and did his best to ignore it.

Jordan made a quick analysis. The identical machines had Poke balls inside of them, but he didn't know what the machines were or how they functioned. Trying to figure it out and free the Pokemon might take too much time.

Jordan went for the thing he was more experienced with: the PC. He rushed over and nearly tripped on the wires. He fumbled with the mouse and keyboard, trying to get the computer up and running.

The monitor flashed on. To say that Jordan was relieved that there was no login required would be an incredible understatement. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Jordan found that the computer was already running a certain program. One look was all it took him to realize that the application was meant for managing all of these peculiar machines. There was a list of links he could click on that would bring him to a specific one. There, Jordan could see which exact Pokemon was in which Poke ball.

This was all useless to Jordan, at the moment. He was looking for a way to set them all free.

Then he found it. It was fairly hidden, probably because Team Dominion didn't want anyone to accidentally screw up and set all of their captured Pokemon free. In the top left corner, there was an 'options' tab. Jordan dropped it down and placed it over the 'release' option. From there, he was given another option to 'release all.'

The sounds of fighting from the hallway were abruptly cut off. The Salazzle came charging through the doorway, opening its mouth in Jordan's direction. He saw its throat begin to glow amber.

He clicked the option once.

A second passed as the command registered. Then, around fifty Poke balls simultaneously burst open, drenching the room in light. Jordan shielded his eyes as he jumped clear of Salazzle's Flamethrower attack. The cone of fire engulfed the computer but didn't touch Jordan.

There were too many Pokemon for Jordan to be able to identify them all. They were of varying types and sizes. Most of them seemed like pre-evolutions or mid-evolutions, indicating that they were fairly low in level. However, EXP didn't matter when there were around four dozen of them.

All of them roared or cried in anger as they all prepared attacks. Jordan almost panicked before realizing none of them had trans-attacks. They couldn't hurt him. Salazzle, however, would definitely be pummeled by the attacks that were aimed at it.

The Pokemon let loose their moves. There were a Flamethrowers, Water Guns, Razor Leaves, Shadow Balls, Thunderbolts, Rock Throws, and even more. All of them struck Salazzle dead on, blasting it out of the room. Jordan laughed and coughed before promptly hurling onto the floor again.

He looked up and saw a particularly angry Excadrill. The subterrene Pokemon wasn't angry at Jordan, of course. It was more likely that it was frustrated that it had been trapped for so long. So it wasn't to blame for what it did next. However, it didn't stop Jordan from wishing it hadn't done anything.

Excadrill drove the drills at the end of its arms into the ground. It didn't look like the motion would have much effect, but the entire floor shattered and collapsed as Excadrill used Earthquake. Jordan felt the ground beneath him fall inward as he went with it.

* * *

Kyle felt the entire building begin to shake around him. He kept his balance and looked around. The room. Leader briefly paused as well.

Eve broke away from its fight with Null. It was doing a much better job now that it had evolved into Glaceon. Leader still had the upper hand, but Eve was at least holding its own. It had learned a new move, as well, one it had replaced Sand Attack with. It was called Icy Wind. The new move had especially helped.

Kyle looked up at the ceiling and saw cracks beginning to form. The fracture spread across the concrete before breaking completely, causing fragments of different sizes to fall like a meter shower.

Kyle yelped and did his best to avoid everything. Leader dodged, too, but he was also still focused on the battle.

"Air Slash!" He ordered.

Null moved its head in a horizontal motion and sent a blade of air in Eve's direction. As it traveled, a large piece of falling cement crossed its path. The slash cut it clean in half and didn't stop.

Eve ran forward and jumped over the slash easily. It was nearly struck by a falling rock as it went airborne.

_It's going to use Tri-attack, next,_ Kyle thought. "Icy Wind!" He called to Eve.

A gust of air burst from the Glaceon's body and passed over Null. The normal-type had been about to use an attack, but the chill of the wind caused it to stop. Null's teeth chattered.

"Follow up with Double Kick!" Kyle shouted as he dodged out of the way of another falling chunk.

Glaceon landed gracefully and continued rushing towards null, its hind legs beginning to glow white. As it approached its target, it jumped again and turned itself around so that its back legs were facing Null.

"Move away!" Leader said. "Quickly!"

Null composed itself in time to dash backward. Eve's first set of kicks met empty air, but it wasn't finished. It unleashed a second set of kicks toward Null. This time, unfortunately, another rock came in between the two Pokemon. It shattered as Eve's Double Kick hit it.

However, the scattered pieces of cement flew into Null's face, distracting it. Eve landed and began the third set of kicks. The previous distraction made it so that these strikes hit their mark. Null was thrown backward onto the ground.

Leader frowned. "Your Pokemon has a move that has an advantage over normal types," He commented disapprovingly.

Kyle shrugged, unbothered. "What can you do?"

Leader met his gaze. "Well, you see, you could have kept that advantage by refusing to evolve your Pokemon. However, now it's an ice type. Steel type moves are effective against ice types."

Kyle felt as if Eve has used Icy Wind on him. Null knew a steel type move, one that was much more powerful than Double Kick. It hadn't hit Eve with Iron Head since it had evolved into Glaceon, thankfully. But it would only take about three or four hits from that attack to take Eve down.

Kyle thought his nervousness must have shown in his expression because Leader grinned as he watched his face.

The rocks continued to fall for a moment longer before they stopped, though Kyle could still hear the sounds of cracking. Dust began to fill the center of the room, obscuring the Pokemon inside. There was nothing either trainer could do until it settled.

* * *

Adrien had been wrong all of the times he had been in a close battle. _This _was the most fun he'd ever have in his life.

Dream Eater was one of the greatest of trainers Adrien had come across so far. He and his Gengar which he called Midnight - seemed to act as one being. It was clear that they understood each other and used that as a part of their fighting style.

Their battle had been an active one. They had traveled around the entire floor at least once, maybe twice, as their Pokemon tried to get past their opponent to strike the enemy trainer. They had taken turns going on the defensive or offensive.

Neither Adrien nor Dream Eater had been a situation that would've been a cause for major concern. The battle was still very even.

Adrien was breathing hard as he moved. He couldn't afford to drop his focus or take even a moment of rest. Doing so meant there would be an incredible risk of being struck by one of Midnight's attacks. He was exhausted, but a smile like no other was plastered across his face. In his heart was nothing but utter joy.

Adrien was on the defensive, backing up as Midnight applied pressure on Chu.

"Shadow Ball!" Dream Eater called.

Adrien readied himself to see if Midnight's attack would be aimed at him or Chu. Dream Eater never specified who it was sent towards. It didn't seem like he needed to. Midnight sent it one way or the other and it was clear that the direction it chose was the one he had expected.

A ball of dark energy formed between Midnight's purple hands. The ghost type leaped into the air, spun around, and sent the Shadow Ball straight past Chu and towards Adrien in a line drive pitch.

Adrien grinned even wider. He jumped to his right and pressed himself against the wall for stability as the Shadow Ball crashed into the space he had been standing before. A small crater was left in the floor. Pebbles flew from the space, hitting Adrien's arm as he turned away to avoid being struck in the face.

"Poison Jab!" He heard Dream Eater say.

Adrien whipped his head back around. Shadow Ball had been a distraction. Midnight had landed and was rushing towards Chu with tremendous speed. Its right fist, glowing a shade of pinkish-purple, was pulled back.

"Parry with Double Kick!" Adrien said quickly. Not frantically. He knew what he was doing, despite his seemingly peculiar attack choice.

Chu's hind legs began to glow white. It turned itself around and threw out a single kick. The first one struck Midnight's luminescent fist as the Gengar sent it into a punch. The Poison Jab was stopped in its path.

Chu sent out a second kick. This one knocked Midnight's fist away while also throwing it slightly off balance.

There was no point in Chu throwing out another set of kicks. They wouldn't do anything.

"Thunderbolt!" Adrien said.

Chu's body crackled with electricity before it unleashed a powerful shock onto Midnight's off-balanced body. The grinning Pokemon was knocked to the ground.

Adrien grinned. While fighting type moves were normally ineffective against ghost types, Midnight's fist had been covered in poison. This allowed Chu to parry the attack with Double Kick since Poison Jab made Midnight's fist tangible.

Dream Eater seemed surprised at the way Adrien had handled that encounter. Adrien didn't blame him. He had been a little surprised when he had seen it while watching two other kids battling each other.

And now that Midnight had been hit by an attack, Adrien had the opportunity to go on the offensive.

"Alright, use -"

Adrien stopped as he felt a tremor pass through the building. He saw that Dream Eater noticed it as well. Both of them examined the walls and ceiling around them.

Too late, Adrien noticed a large rock falling from the ceiling above him. He tried to move out of the way, but he was too slow. The chunk of cement struck him on the head, and everything went dark.


	27. A Call For Help

**A Call For Help**

* * *

_Ah, I see my anomaly has achieved a milestone._

_It really is becoming stronger._

_..._

_Wait._

…

_I have to say, I didn't expect it to inherit that trait._

* * *

Jordan was falling. The ground had opened beneath him, leaving about 20 feet of space between him and the next surface below him. The fall would break plenty of his bones. It might even be his demise if he hit the ground badly enough or if he couldn't find a way to move after landing.

His situation had taken a major turn for the worse, and yet he wasn't afraid. However, that should be credited more to his sickness than his confidence. His emotions were being dulled he grew more tired with each passing moment. Jordan closed his eyes and let gravity pull him towards the floor.

Jordan felt strong appendages thicker than tree trunks take hold of him while he descended. He heard the cement crunch just a few feet below him but his body never touched the ground, though he still felt a bit of a jarring impact that made his teeth clack together.

Jordan opened his eyes and saw that he was being carried in the arms of a Machoke. It was looking down at him with a concerned expression, a look that was odd on such a burly figure.

Jordan sighed with some relief. "Thanks," he said. He motioned for Machoke to place him on the ground. It did so incredibly gently as if it worried it would accidentally break Jordan's body if it went to fast.

The room they had fallen into was a little bigger than the one above. It looked to be about a little more than half the size of the gymnasium at Jordan's school. It was completely empty. Of course, the empty space was about to be occupied.

The debris from the shattered floor and ceiling rained down beside and on top of him. Rocks from the ceiling above the floor that had fallen through were also falling. Machoke moved on top of Jordan to protect him from the falling cement. Rocks struck the fighting-types back, some fracturing as they did so.

Other Pokemon began to fall around Jordan. Some landed on their feet, some didn't, and some stayed in the air with the help of wings. Jordan cringed as he saw one land sideways on a large boulder-shaped piece of the floor that had fallen in. Fortunately, Jordan saw that a few other Pokemon went over to check on it.

Machines and cables fell, too. The strange devices that had held six Poke balls at a time crashed into the ground near the walls, scattering bits of metal in every direction. Poke balls fell as well. The Pokemon moved out of the way of falling capsules in case one of them happened to be theirs and trapped them again. The computer that Jordan had used was nearby, destroyed beyond the possibility of repair.

Jordan still felt extraordinarily ill and it had only gotten worse since the fall. He sat up and leaned over, waiting for more bile to come pouring out. Thankfully, there wasn't any, but it didn't make him feel any better.

Jordan heard a tapping noise traveling towards him. He looked ahead and saw a crab-like creature with a giant red mushroom on its back. A Parasect.

Parasect approached Jordan and stopped when it was a few feet away. It then began to spew a strange essence from its mushroom directly into Jordan's face.

Jordan was about to jump away from Parasect, as he knew that it was known for emitting toxic spores, but was stopped as he realized that not only could Parasect not hurt him but that the aroma ha a very pleasant smell. He paused where he sat, then relaxed as he continued to breathe in the fumes.

His sickness began to slowly drain away. His vision cleared and the dull pain in his head faded. His stomach stopped heaving and he no longer worried about throwing up. He closed his eyes and began to breathe much more easily.

At his third exhalation, he opened his eyes and looked at Parasect. It didn't have much of an expression. Jordan smiled at it. At his smile, the Parasect turned and scuttled away.

Now that Jordan was no longer in great pain and discomfort, he could afford to think of other things.

_Fireball. _He didn't see his Monferno anywhere among the rubble and other Pokemon. He guessed that it was still on the floor above. Adrenaline began to pump through his veins as a growing rage filled his mind. It was time to fight back.

Jordan pushed himself off the ground and looked up. Now that he was listening, he heard sounds of more fighting through the entryway of the room above, along with shouting. Jordan decided that most of the previously captive Pokemon were not happy about being contained for so long.

The sounds were fading, meaning one of the two sides was retreating. Most likely Team Dominion, as they were now overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Jordan's first step was to find Fireball. He found the nearest exit to the room and took a step towards it.

A strong hand clasped the top of his shoulder. Jordan turned to see Machoke. The fighting type didn't do anything else, only continued to watch him.

"What?" Jordan asked while simultaneously trying to escape Machoke's grip. He was unsuccessful.

Machoke began to turn its head and look around the room. Jordan hesitantly followed its gaze.

Every Pokemon in the room was looking at him. It wasn't all of the ones he had freed, however. Many had gone ahead to join the fight, such as the Excadrill that had used Earthquake. These Pokemon, however, had decided to stay. Why was that?

Jordan looked back at Machoke, who was still staring intently into his eyes. That was when Jordan realized it. _They need someone to follow behind. A trainer._

Machoke noticed Jordan's thought process. The muscular Pokemon removed its hand before turning around and squatting down. It then began to point to its back.

_It wants me to get on? _Jordan wondered. He slowly complied, climbing on to Machoke's backside and wrapping his arms securely around its neck. He looked around at the other Pokemon again.

Jordan was met with deja vu. He had seen something like this before. Pokemon, lots of them, all focused on him. All with the intent to fight.

But this time, they weren't fighting against _him._ Now, they _all_ had a common enemy.

Jordan smiled at how far he'd come. "Alright," he said. "Find your way up! We're gonna beat these guys until there's nobody left standing!"

Machoke extended its legs and launched off the ground. It grabbed a ledge that led to the next floor and held on before pulling itself and Jordan up. They were back in the hallway. Rocks were on the ground here now, too.

Among the debris, bodies clad in black clothing lay on the ground. They had most likely been either hit with rocks or physical Pokemon attacks.

Jordan hopped down from Machoke's back as other Pokemon started to come up. Flying types carried smaller Pokemon. Large Pokemon like Gyrados and Onix lifted some heavier Pokemon onto the next floor. Soon, all of them were at the same level again.

Jordan turned and took off down the hall towards the sounds of battle. More than fifteen determined Pokemon followed behind.

* * *

_No._

Dream Eater watched, frozen, as Shadow Force crumpled to the ground like a lifeless doll. Fear petrified his body, keeping him from moving towards the boy. He struggled out of his shock before rushing over.

Chu - Shadow Force had been calling his Pokemon by that name - had run to its trainer immediately after he had fallen. It noticed Dream Eater's approach and readied itself. Electricity crackled across its body.

"Wait!" Dream Eater insisted. "I want to help!"

Chu hesitated. Dream Eater knew it didn't have many options. There wasn't much it could do on its own. Eventually, the Pikachu reluctantly lowered its guard, allowing Dream Eater to get closer.

Dream Eater dropped to his knees to examine the boy's condition. He grimaced at the amount of blood seeping from the child's head. It ran through his dark hair, soaking it, and onto the floor, creating a small puddle.

_No. No. No. No!_

Dream Eater began to apply pressure to the wound. This kid couldn't die. He wouldn't allow it. Not until their battle was over. They needed to finish it! There needed to be a winner! This wouldn't be a victory.

Not to mention that this was the most excitement Dream Eater had felt in a while. He had been having fun. The only regret that had been passing through his mind was that the two of them would only have been able to battle this once.

_You can't die. I need you to wake up. We need to finish our battle…_

The boy suddenly stopped breathing. When he noticed this, Dream Eater held his own breath. He removed one hand from Shadow Force's head and placed two fingers on his neck, feeling for a pulse. There was none.

The blood continued to pour. Dream Eater released his hands from Shadow Force's head and neck and made fists against the ground. Chu seemed to realize what was going on. Dream Eater had never heard of a Pokemon crying, but it seemed like this one was about to as it looked at the deceased body of its former trainer.

Dream Eater opened his mouth and let out a furious scream of agony.

* * *

Carol woke. She wished she hadn't. Then she wouldn't have been able to feel the overwhelming pain.

Skuntank's Toxic attack had definitely done its work. Carol had always wondered how it felt when a Pokemon became poisoned. She could now say with the utmost certainty that it was not at all pleasant. There was no way someone could feel this sick, even if they ate garbage.

Her skin felt like it had been ripped apart. She opened her eyes to try and examine it, but she couldn't see much, as the room she was in now was very dark. She instead tried running her hands over her arms, straining with the effort it caused. It didn't cause any more pain to touch it, so she assumed there wasn't any damage. That was something.

She was laying stomach down on a hard, lukewarm floor. She grimaced as she lifted her head up. She had once fallen asleep on a hardwood floor. That experience, though difficult, was much preferable to concrete.

Carol looked around to find Scarf. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that it was laying next to her. She sighed with relief, reaching out and putting an arm over it. She pulled it closer to herself for comfort. The dragon type was still unconscious. Its breathing was ragged and quick. It must've been poisoned, too.

Carol heard the sounds of footsteps. She tried to push herself up but failed. Her head fell back against the ground, making her wince. The footsteps came closer, and Carol decided to simply pretend she was still asleep.

"Here," a female voice said. Carol remained still. The woman sighed and nudged Carol with her foot. "Come on," she said. "I know you're awake."

Carol continued to remain motionless. She knew it wasn't much of a tactic, but it was all she had. She tried to think of a plan since pretending would only buy so much time.

"Girl, I saw you moving your head and bring your Pokemon closer," the woman said in a frustrated voice. "I know you're pretending to sleep. I have medicine for you. So you won't puke your guts out onto the floor."

Carol felt her stomach churn at that statement. If this woman really _did_ have medicine, it would be nice to have some. She reluctantly turned herself over and struggled to sit up. She leaned her back against the wall next to her.

Her eyes focused on the face in front of her. It was difficult to make out the features, so she couldn't decide if she had seen her before. Then she noticed a shape on her shoulder that couldn't have been anything but a Noctowl.

The woman held out something in her hand. It was a cup filled with a yellow liquid, like lemonade.

"What is it, exactly?" Carol asked.

"An antidote, like the one used on Pokemon," the woman explained. "Except it's been modified to work on humans."

Carol wanted nothing more to drink and be rid of her poisoning. But she was a smart person. She held the cup back out to Noctowl's trainer.

"Sorry," she said. "I don't really trust you."

Carol thought she saw the woman roll her eyes. She took the cup from Carol before taking a small sip. She then held it back out. "Happy?"

Carol hesitated before taking the cup back. She downed everything in a single gulp. She placed the cup on the ground and wiped her mouth. She noticed the sickness in her stomach begin to fade away. Her strength returned.

"I could've just forced you to drink it if it was something that would hurt you," the woman said.

Carol only shrugged. Her sight became a little better. She found that there had been some black at the edge of her vision that was making it more difficult for her to see.

A bluish light was coming from the other side of the room behind the woman. Carol blinked once. Then her eyes widened.

_A working computer!_

Then Carol noticed that the room was _full_ of computers. Most rooms had only had one or two, but this one had at least ten. There were more PCs in this room than there had been in any other.

She was there. All she had to do was get past this one enemy, and rescue was almost assured. However, she couldn't afford to fight with Pokemon. Not only was Scarf still unconscious, but the battle might break the computer.

Her only options were either to wait for someone or to try and talk her way through. Fighting herself would practically be suicide with Noctowl against her.

"What's your name?" Carol asked conversationally.

The woman sat down in front of Carol. She placed her elbows on her knees.

"I'm called Extrasensory," she answered. "They told me you were called Outrage?"

Carol nodded. She had almost forgotten the false name she had chosen for herself. It had been based on a move Scarf was supposed to learn, eventually.

The two sat in silence for a half-minute or so. A light tremor passed through the room. There was still fighting going on, meaning at least one of them was still moving around. That was good.

"Did you guys come up with the medicine?" Carol asked next.

Extrasensory nodded. "Some other members came up with it. There's a laboratory on the top floor for experimenting with potions and other Pokemon medicine. We needed to figure out how to make our own potions, along with medicine for humans in case one of us fell victim to our own trans-attacks."

Carol couldn't help but be impressed. "You know," she commented honestly, "You guys are doing some pretty revolutionary things here, despite what they are. The Dominance ball, the devices that allow you to harm humans with Pokemon. Why are you doing this? Wouldn't you rather use your talents for good?"

Extrasensory's face darkened. "Like what, working for the CPP?" She asked bitterly. "Yeah, no thanks."

Carol tilted her head sideways, confused. "Do you have something against them?"

Extrasensory met her eyes. "You all think that the CPP is made up of the good guys, and we're the bad guys."

Carol gave her a sarcastic expression with her eyebrow raised. "Well I mean, can you really blame us?"

Extrasensory shook her head. "You don't know what we've seen inside those facilities. Pokemon being experimented on. Pitted against each other for research data. Seeing which attacks deal the most damage. Then there's the one we found when the leader was with us…"

Carol hadn't known about anything Extrasensory was saying. She hadn't even considered it.

"But that can't be true…" She insisted quietly.

"Oh, it is," Extrasensory said. "The professors in the CPP are no better people than we are. Did you know we didn't even come up with the idea for the Dominance ball? We took the research designs from one of their insane professors."

"You encourage people to steal other people's Pokemon!" Carol said. "What makes you think there's anything justifiable about that?"

Extrasensory shook her head. "I never said it was justifiable. I'm not for it. I just follow orders. I joined because I had seen what the CPP was doing. The leader offered me a chance to put a stop to it all."

"We can change them," Carol tried. "We can make things different. You just have to stop being a criminal."

Extrasensory narrowed her eyes. "People don't change just like that. Besides, what could either of us do? You're a kid, and I'm a criminal." She shook her head. "I know what you're trying to do, and it isn't going to work. Sorry."

"You said I'm just a kid," Carol said. "I made it this far, haven't I? And my friends are doing even better than I am."

Another tremor passed through the building after she said those words, followed by sounds of distant and muffled shouting from a direction Carol couldn't identify. Extrasensory laughed.

"I suppose you might have a bit of a point there," She said, smiling. Then her smile changed back to a straight face. "But this is just something you're wrong about. Let it go." She stood back up and began to walk to her computer on the opposite side of the room. "I'm keeping you here until your friends are captured. Don't cause me any trouble." She sat down, facing away from Carol. Her Notowl jumped off of her shoulder an onto the ground. Carol couldn't see if its eyes were closed or not.

Carol sighed quietly. That hadn't worked. So what now? There wasn't anything else she could do. Talking hadn't worked, and that had been her only option. Battling wasn't-

Carol turned and saw that Scarf's eyes were open. It's breathing was no longer discomforting. It was still laying down as to not give away the fact that it was awake. If Extrasensory didn't know Scarf was conscious, it would be a huge advantage. Scarf would just have to subdue Noctowl with wrap, then Carol would find some way to deal with Extrasensory so she could send a message to the CPP.

Carol looked around for her bag. She found it to leaning against the right wall. She might be able to get to it without Extrasensory noticing. However, Noctowl might be a problem. If its eyes were open, it would see her for sure, and their surprise attack wouldn't be very effective at all.

She had to make a choice. She decided it was better to risk it than do nothing at all. She began to slowly move along the wall. Scarf stayed put. Carol moved over several minutes so as to not show much motion that might draw Noctowl's or Extrasensory's attention.

She reached her backpack and placed a hand on it. Extrasensory was still on her computer. Noctowl hadn't shown any signs of seeing her. Carol wrapped her fingers around the bag's zipper and began to slowly open it.

It was much louder than Carol would've anticipated. Before the zipper had opened more than an inch, Noctowl's head snapped towards her direction. It began to make a loud noise as it flapped its wings.

Extrasensory turned to where Carol had been before and seemed surprised to see her in a different spot. She looked toward the bag in her hand. "Hey!"

Carol panicked. She yanked the bag open and reached inside. Scarf seemed to understand that the game was up as it abandoned its possum act and slithered towards Carol. The trainer pulled out a potion and began to quickly apply it.

"Noctowl, use Extrasensory!"

The world was suddenly too much for Carol to take in. The light from the computer became blinding, the once normally quiet sound became as loud as a jet engine, and the pain on her body was multiplied tenfold. She shouted in pain.

Then it stopped. Carol breathed heavily as everything turned back to normal. She hadn't been able to notice if anything had happened, so she took a moment to gain her bearings.

Some computers and tables had been knocked over. On the ground next to them was Noctowl Jolts of electricity were running across its body. Paralysis.

Extrasensory was on the ground, too. Dratini was wrapped around her body, restraining the Team Dominion member as she struggled to break free while also trying to give Noctowl orders.

Carol wasted no time. She ran over to the computer Extrasensory had been working on, which hadn't been knocked over in the apparent scuffle. She located an email application and opened it. She logged into Kyle's email and started a draft to send to the CPP professor he had been talking with. She prepared a message and let her finger hover over the "send" option.

"Do you really trust them after what I've said?" Extrasensory asked from behind her.

Carol paused. She had to admit, if the things she had said were true, then she definitely had plenty of reasons not to support the CPP any longer. But they needed their help right now. She would have to deal with the other issues later.

She sent the message.

* * *

Bradley Pine sat in his small office. He wasn't up to much, at the moment. In fact, he was getting ready to go home, as it was getting rather late in the day. He just had to wait until his boss let him go.

His boss was a good guy. If he hadn't been, Bradley wouldn't have been allowed to keep talking with Kyle. He liked talking with the kid. It made him feel useful. Not to mention, it gave Bradley hope for the future of society.

Of course, he had always been required to act professionally, something Bradley despised doing. He wasn't as much of an uptight stiff as his emails suggested. He was actually a rather energetic person in his late thirties. He liked going out, having a good time, and exchanging jokes. But of course, if he did any of those things with Kyle, his boss would take away his priveledges.

A notification appeared on Bradley's monitor. He stopped moving around in his swivel chair so he could take a good look.

_Speak of the devil, _Bradley thought with a smile. He had received an email from Kyle. He opened it and began to read.

His eyebrows crawled upward when he read the first few lines, then they furrowed. Then his eyes themselves widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Holy shit!" Bradley exclaimed, putting his hands on his head. He grabbed his phone off his desk and stood. He pulled his long, brown coat off the hanger as he ran out the door. He dashed past his coworkers, frantically apologizing each time he bumped into one of them, which is to say every time he passed someone.

_When he said he wanted to help, I didn't know he'd be _this _determined!_

He ran out of his office building and into the parking lot. There had been an address sent with the email. Bradley had recognized it. It was actually pretty close. About an hour's drive from the building he had just left. But he doubted he had an hour. It would certainly take longer than that for the police to show up, anyway.

Fortunately, there were other ways to get around these days. Bradley reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poke ball.

* * *

The dust was finally clearing. Finally. Now they could continue their battle.

Kyle wasn't really sure what to do, now. There wasn't much more he could do to gain the advantage. All he could do now was keep fighting and hope to win.

"Alright, Eve, let's-"

Kyle stopped. He saw Leader raise an eyebrow.

"Well then," the founder of Team Dominion said. "That certainly changes things, doesn't it?"

_What the hell? I could've sworn…both of us saw it. I…_

As the dust cleared, everyone saw the last thing anybody would've expected. Standing in the middle of the room amid all the falling lumps of concrete were Null and Eve. Except Eve was an Eevee. Not a Glaceon, an Eevee.

_What…_

As more dust faded away, Kyle's eye was caught by a whitish-blue stone. It was the ice stone that had been used to evolve Eve.

"Okay," Leader said, "I have to admit, this is very confusing."

_You're telling me._

What had happened? Kyle had never heard of a Pokemon _devolving_ before. Was Eve sick or something? Had the evolution only been temporary?

Eve used its back leg to kick the ice stone. It skittered along the ground to where Kyle was standing. The trainer stopped it with his hoe and bent over to pick it up. He turned it over in his hand as he examined it. Nothing seemed to be out of place.

Leader chuckled. "Well, anyway," he said, "Your Pokemon is much weaker now, even if I no longer have a move that's super effective against it." He pointed to Eve. "Go now! Use Tri-attack!"

"Judgment!" Kyle said reflexivly.

Eve sent out beams of light while Null sent out a fire beam, an ice beam, and an electrical beam, all at the same time. The attacks collided in the center before Eve's own attack surpassed its opponent's. The beams struck Null and threw it backward.

* * *

_That attack, _Leader thought. _Judgment, he called it? I suppose that's where he gets his name from._

There was something familiar about the attack to Leader. Something he couldn't quite place…

Realization flooded inside him. _Of course! _He thought. _It's exactly like the light from the Arceus!_

New thoughts began to fill his mind. _What is this Pokemon? Is it connected to that creature somehow? Could I- _His spirits rose by a hundred percent at this next thought. _Could I use it to find that creature?_

An idea formed inside of Leader's head. Unreliable, untested, and probably worthless. But he was desperate to find some progress towards his goal. Besides, the logic seemed sound.

_I think I have it here. _Leader began to search his bag, taking out Dominance ball's and looking them over.

_No, not that one. Not that one either._

Finally, he found the one. He smiled as he unlocked and opened it.

* * *

A white and green Gardevoir materialized in front of Leader. Kyle began to panic at first when he saw it. _Is he going to try and use two against me?_

"Destiny Bond!" Leader shouted.

Nothing visible happened. Everything stayed the same. But Kyle knew that a bond had just been formed between Gardevoir and Eve, though there was no visible indication to the move. Destiny Bond bound two Pokemon's essences together, or a least that's what the CPP had revealed in their studies.

"Now, use Mean Look, then run up to it and use teleport!" Leader said as he returned Null to its Poke ball and put it in his pocket.

Gardevoir's face flashed into one of pure ferocity. Eve froze in pace, unable to move. The psychic type took the opening and ran towards it, reaching out to touch it. Leader was running as well, holding on to Gardevoir's other arm.

Kyle had no idea what Leader's plan was, but his instinct was telling him to grab hold of Eve. He ran over and dove onto the ground, placing his hands on his petrified Pokemon. Rocks and pebbles scraped his arms and knees.

In the next instant, the two trainers and the two Pokemon vanished into thin air.


	28. Rage And Vengeance

**Rage And Vengeance**

* * *

_It seems that its vessel's life has run out._

_A sad and depressing tragedy. _

_But it was a necessary one._

* * *

Once the message had been sent, Carol logged out of Kyle's email account and shut the computer down. She hoped that Professor Pine would get the message and send help as soon as he could. They were doomed without it.

"You…"

Carol turned. Extrasensory was still on the ground, restrained by Scarf's body. She was gritting her teeth audibly, the sound of it was unnerving. Her body was shaking in anger.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" She asked.

Carol frowned. She hadn't grown any more fond of Extrasensory's viewpoint. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it was Extrasensory trying to trick her or make her believe false information. It was actually getting annoying.

"Look," Carol said. "You have no right to accuse someone else of a crime when you've committed plenty yourself."

"Their crimes outweigh my own!" Extrasensory spat. "You wouldn't understand! You could _never _understand because you haven't seen what I've witnessed!"

Carol sighed. She was done. She didn't want to go down this subject any longer. Best to just leave it. She picked up her backpack and poked around in it until she found a roll of duct tape she had packed. It was about to come in handy.

She tossed it around a bit in both hands as she let the bag fall back to the ground. The roll made a ripping noise as Carol pulled on it. She moved towards Extrasensory to tie her hands and feet together.

Something struck her back with the force of a chucked rock the size of a basketball, knocking the wind out of her. She wheezed and gasped for air as she fell over onto her stomach, the silver-colored tape falling from her hands.

Carol stuck her arms out to break her fall, pushing her palms against the floor to keep her face from slamming down. She quickly turned herself around and swiftly crawled moved backward on all fours to move away and see what had hit her.

Noctowl was cleary still paralyzed, evident by the way it was struggling to stay in the air as it flapped its wings, but it had managed to move with enough force to knock Carol down. It dropped to the ground next to her bag and shivered slightly. Its eyes were on Carol, intent and menacing.

_Right then. Time to go._

Carol scrambled towards the exit to the room. Thankfully, there was nobody in her way. She called to Scarf, who unraveled itself and followed her escape. Noctowl made a move to intercept the enemy Pokemon, but stopped and shivered again, thanks to its paralysis.

Leaving her bag and the duct tape behind, Carol charged and slammed her shoulder against the door like the people from the movies she'd seen. She was rather disappointed and discouraged when the door didn't budge at all. Now with a left shoulder that felt as if it had been ignited, she fumbled with the doorknob and managed to open it after a full two seconds. She was lucky Extrasensory was so slow.

After she finally managed to get the door open, she ran out into the hallway and took off to the right, though she really didn't have any plan as to where she was going. To find the others? Kyle was probably either still battling against Leader, or a victor had already been decided. Adrien was probably down there with him, fighting against some other people. And Jordan… Where had he gone? Had he been captured? She hadn't had time to think about what might've happened to her.

The building shook underneath her feet as she kept sprinting. There was more shouting.

_Well, I could always follow the noise, _she thought to herself. She charted her course and began running towards the sounds of battle. _At least one of them should be there. _

* * *

At first, Jordan had thought there was no way they could lose with this many Pokemon on their side. Now, he wasn't as confident.

They held the upper hand a few minutes before, actually. There were only about seven active Pokemon left working for Team Dominion, a much smaller number of what Jordan had. However, their levels were significantly higher than the freed Pokemon, and their trainers seemed to have an infinite supply of potions.

Six Pokemon could hold of the others while one of them retreated to their trainer and took a dose of the purple liquid. The flasks that the Team Dominion members had were much smaller than regular potion bottles, but they seemed twice as effective for some reason. It wasn't fair to Jordan. In fact, it had become rather annoying. There was no way for him to push past the line of defense protecting the healing Pokemon.

Not to mention Jordan couldn't find Fireball. He had wanted to split off from the battle while everyone else fought it out to check the rooms, but he didn't want to leave the freed Pokemon alone. Fireball wouldn't want it, either. So he stayed, just standing and watching while everyone fought each other.

The two sides were at a stalemate. The freed Pokemon weren't pushing Team Dominion back anymore; a sure sign that the tide of battle was taking a turn for the worse for Jordan. They were in the middle of a long hallway with a few doorways on each side. Occasionally, one Pokemon would be thrown through a doorway only to come leaping or rushing out only a few minutes later, except for one Flaaffy from Jordan's side that didn't come back out.

At the other end of the hallway, behind the Team Dominion trainers, Jordan saw none other than Carol round the corner. Jordan's eyes widened in surprise and relief. The guilt and grief he had held up to this point began to deflate a little. He had been worried he would have to wait until the fighting was done until he could go after her. She locked eyes with him and stopped in her tracks. Her Dratinini moved around the corner only a second behind her. It paused next to her. Its neck was bare; it had lost the device that allowed it to harm humans.

Jordan watched as Carol's eyes broke away from his and scanned the battleground, eyes wide as well at the sight of so many Pokemon in one place. The Team Dominion trainers were too focused on the fight to notice her. Their backs were turned to her. A perfect opening. Jordan knew that. She must have.

Carol didn't hesitate. She shouted something inaudible over all the noise produced by the large battle. Her Dratini whipped its head around and sent a roaring tornado speeding down the hallway towards Jordan. The Pokemon who could see Carol, which was to say all of the Pokemon that didn't belong to Team Dominion anymore, stopped fighting and backed away. Their opponents stopped and straightened with confused expressions. Then they turned around and received a Twister attack.

The attack made by Carol's trainer passed harmlessly through the Team Dominion members, unfortunately, but this was made up by the damage and disorientation it caused for their Pokemon, who were thrown against walls, cracking the cement. One, the Gallade, was blown towards a group of Pokemon who immediately jumped on it like an alleyway gang as soon as it landed. The Twister dissipated into thin air just before it could affect any Pokemon friendly to Jordan or Carol.

Jordan grinned. Every Pokemon that had been thrown aside by Twister were back on their feet or in the air after a few moments, save for the Gallade. The member who owned the psychic-fighting hybrid would have to get through the horde of enemy Pokemon to heal his Pokemon, which wasn't happening as far as Jordan could tell.

_Just six to go._

The Team Dominion members turned their heads from Jordan to Carol, realizing they had been flanked. As it seemed they were pondering their next move, something else came around the corner at the end of the hall, headed straight for Carol.

Jordan felt a chill run down his spine. The sensation delayed his reaction, causing him to shout a warning a few seconds after the moment it would've been useful.

* * *

Carol was taking in the amount of Pokemon in the hall before she noticed Jordan's distraught expression followed by a loud yell.

_Are these all the Pokemon that had been held captive? _She had wondered. _Did Jordan free all of them? That's amazing!_

She had also noticed Fireball's absence. She hoped the fire-fighting hybrid was alright.

_Then_ she noticed Jordan clearly trying to warn her. There didn't seem to be anything to worry about, however. Ther Team Dominion members in front of her were still plotting and their Pokemon were awaiting orders. She didn't feel like she was in any danger.

That was when she thought to look behind her. As she turned, she found sharp, light brown talons aiming for her face. It seemed that Noctowl was no longer paralyzed. She hadn't detected its presence with any of her senses.

Scarf was there in an instant, swiftly and cunningly jumping into the air while wrapping the lower end of its body around one of Noctowl's legs. The bird-like Pokemon was yanked away from Carol's face. Scarf threw it towards a wall, but Noctowl quickly managed to right itself and was hovering in the air again before it had struck anything.

Carol realized she was holding her breath. She let it out in a large exhale that made her much more tired than she had been before. The day had been exhausting. She would be needing plenty of rest after this was all over. _If _she survived until help arrived.

Extrasensory came running around the corner after her Pokemon, eyes full of rage. Carol backed away, then turned around towards the other Team Dominion members behind her. Now she was the one surrounded on two sides.

Carol kept her head on a swivel, making sure her an opponent wasn't in one of her blindspots for more than a second. She needed something to take the focus off of her. Right now, she was practically a lamb at the slaughter.

"Go!" Carol heard Jordan shout. She turned towards the sound of his voice and saw the boy pointing at the six Pokemon who had made it through Scarf's Twister. "Finish them off!"

The eleven remaining Pokemon that had been freed from Team Dominion's control took Jordan's cue and rushed forward. The clash ensued, and there was now only one more Pokemon left for Carol to worry about. She and Jordan met each other's eyes, acknowledging one another. Jordan would deal with the rest so she could deal with Extrasensory.

She turned to face her opponent and stared her down. Scarf poised itself between the two of them, positioned more closely to Carol, defending her. Noctowl continued to hover at Extrasensory's left side. The tension in the air grew as the sounds of the battle behind her were muted by her concentration. She took a deep breath.

"Twister!"

"Air Slash!"

Scarf sent a raging tornado forward while Noctowl slashed with both of its wings in front of and across its body, sending a blade of air straight towards Scarf. The Dratini dexterously moved out of the way, slithering under the attack. Carol jumped to the side, reminding herself to be careful. Noctowl's attacks could harm her, while Scarf's attacks didn't do anything any longer. The wind blade streaked passed her as she dodged. Carol heard the sound of the floor cracking from behind her as Air Slash struck the ground.

The Twister was avoided by Noctowl. It had to dash towards the wall and press up against it to avoid being caught in the strong winds of the attack. The tornado passed harmlessly through Extrasensory and disappeared as it hit the wall behind her.

"Thunder Wave!" Carol called.

Scarf fired a small jolt of electricity from the tip of its body. It traveled through the air towards Noctowl, who was now on the ground. The owl Pokemon spread its wings and flapped them once, pushing off the ground with its feet as it did so. The electric jolt tapped the wall next to where it had been and faded.

Extrasensory smirked. "You'll have to do better than that." Her smirk faded as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "Extrasensory!"

Noctowl's red-orange eyes flashed. Carol expected to experience the same sensations as before in the room with all of the computers and braced herself, holding her eyes shut and covering her ears while tensing her whole body. But nothing came. She opened one eye and saw Scarf reeling in pain. Her Pokemon had been the one targeted, not her.

Noctowl was idle, still fixing its gaze on Scarf. It hadn't taken the opening to attack Carol while she had been unaware. Extrasensory didn't give it any extra orders.

_I need to be more careful, _Carol thought to herself, frustrated that she had let her guard down so easily.

While Scarf was still shaking, Extrasensory reached into her right pocket and produced a small plastic bag. Carol squinted in an effort to make out what was inside. Was it… pills? They were all different colors and shaped like tiny cylinders.

Extrasensory put her fingers in the bag and removed a light greenish-blue pill. She held it up for Carol to see.

Scarf stopped shaking. It took a few deep breaths before regaining its fighting stance. It waited patiently for Carol's orders, but the trainer was curious to see what the pill was.

"You're Pokemon is high in experience," Extrasensory commented. "I can tell that. Though it's base statistics might be lower than Noctowl's, they're probably even now since Noctowl is most likely a lower level. That makes things pretty balanced." She tossed the colored pill into the air. Noctowl opened its beak and caught the pill, swallowing it. "But these things will tip the scales a bit."

No visible change occurred, making Carol wonder what had happened. What exactly was the pill for? Did it prevent paralysis? That would be useful for Noctowl since Scarf knew Thunder Wave.

"Now then," Extrasensory said, cutting into Carol's thoughts, "Take Down."

Noctowl crouched low to the ground and slowly spread its wings wide. Carol was unable to see the next movement the Pokemon made. All she could see was a blur streaking along the floor towards Scarf.

_So fast! _"Dodge right!"

Scarf complied, slithering to the right. Carol herself moved to the left to avoid being hit in case Noctowl kept going past Scarf.

Noctowl missed Scarf by a mere hair; she could've sworn the two Pokemon had actually made contact. Noctowl slowed down before coming to a halt, talons digging into the cement floor as it slid from its momentum, making scratches. It paused only for a second before it was a blur again, aiming for Scarf's backside.

_How can it move so quickly? _Carol wondered. _It shouldn't even be possible!_

This time, Noctowl struck Scarf dead-on. The Dratini was thrown backward as it tumbled on the floor. Noctowl came to a stop once again, sliding along the ground as it slowed itself. Carol no longer had any defense between her and Noctowl. Her Pokemon was now in between Extrasensory and Noctowl.

Extrasensory chuckled. "Fascinating, isn't it?"

Carol gritted her teeth. "What is that? How is that possible? Its speed stat shouldn't be that high!"

Extrasensory held up the closed bag again. "See these? Another one of our little experiments we performed here. I actually came up with these myself. I call them battle items."

"Outstanding name," Carol said dryly. Inside, however, she felt a growing anxiety.

Extrasensory shrugged. "I didn't want to try too hard on it. As long as it gets the job done, I don't care what they're called." She pointed to Noctowl. "I gave it an x-speed. It'll raise its speed stat significantly higher. Good luck with dodging."

_Definitely not favorable._

"Right then," Extrasensory said. "Noctowl, ignore the Dratini. Use Air Slash on the girl."

Carol felt panic rise. Could she manage to dodge? Would the speed of the blade increase as well? Would she be taken out just like this? Her worries slowed her reaction time. She could've moved out of the way of the attack, but she didn't respond in time. She dashed to the right, but the blade of air nicked the right side of her leg, just above the ankle.

Pain flared. It felt exactly like getting cut with a real knife. Carol placed a hand on the wound and realized it was wet with blood. The attack had actually managed to cut through her skin.

Scarf let out a cry and rushed towards the grounded Noctowl. The owl Pokemon had its back turned, and it was busy with its own attack, so it couldn't counter. Scarf used Wrap on its own, entangling Noctowl's body. The psychic-flying hybrid struggled in frustration against Scarf's hold, but in vain.

Carol grinned despite the pain. Seeing Scarf fight so hard for her made her feel better. "Nice!" She exclaimed to her Pokemon. "Now, use Thunder Wave!"

Extrasensory made an annoyed scowl as Scarf electrified the restrained Noctowl, paralyzing it. The x-speed that had been used on it was virtually useless now unless Extrasensory had another paralyze heal.

"Use Air Slash to force your way out!" Extrasensory called.

Noctowl's wings glowed white as it struggled to free one of its wings. It finally did, bursting its right wing from its restrainment and slashing it in a horizontal motion towards Scarf. The Air Slash traveled two inches before hitting Scarf directly in its face. The Dratini released Noctowl and retreated. Noctowl's wings dimmed, and both Pokemon resumed their fighting stance.

"Wrap!"

"Take Down!"

The two Pokemon rushed towards each other, and the battle waged on.

* * *

Jordan was becoming more and more upset the longer he worried about Fireball. He wanted his Monferno to be there with him so it could help in the battle. He at least wanted to know where it was.

Carol was still fighting her battle against the woman with the Noctowl. It had seemed that the Noctowl had been overpowering her for a moment, but it seemed everything was better now. Which was to say Scarf wasn't getting its ass beat anymore. It was still unclear as to whether or not Scarf and Carol would manage to come out on top.

The other Pokemon fought on. The members of Team Dominion were beginning to run out of healing supplies. Two more enemy Pokemon had dropped. Only four remained. The members whose Pokemon had fainted had returned them to their containers and cowered behind those with Pokemon still in the battle.

While they had made some progress, Jordan's side only had six remaining Pokemon, and none of them were in good shape. They were tired and on the brink of defeat. He knew that they would soon begin to drop like flies.

Yet they continued to fight with everything they had. They were greatly lacking in experience compared to their opponents, but that didn't stop any of them from throwing themselves at their enemies again and again, until they were finally knocked down for good.

Time passed. Jordan wasn't sure how long. The anticipation made it seem like hours. Eventually, there were only three Pokemon in total left standing. There was only one Pokemon still conscious on Team Dominion's side: Salazzle. The other two belonged to Jordan's team: Machoke and Excadrill. Excadrill hadn't followed behind Jordan. It had already been fighting when they had arrived to join in. Thankfully, it hadn't used Earthquake again.

The last member of Team Dominion stood proudly as her comrades watched from behind her. Jordan recognized her as the woman who had picked them up from the shopping center in the rapist van. The leader had called her Venoshock. It was a pretty cool name, Jordan couldn't lie. Her friend who had also been there wasn't anywhere in sight. Jordan must've passed his unconscious body in the halls.

Venochock sneered. "You know, this doesn't seem like a fair fight to me." She turned to her fellow members. "Does it?" The members slowly shook their heads in agreement.

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "The hell? I'd say you have the advantage." He shocked himself at how casually he said the words. It really hit him hard afterwards. He was about to lose if he didn't do something. He needed to find Fireball. Now.

"What do you mean?" Venoshock asked with mock curiosity as she tilted her head. "It's two against one."

_Fireball. Have to find Fireball. But do I just abandon these two? I mean, they could buy me time…_

"I suppose we should even it up," she continued as she reached into one of her pockets. She pulled out a black and dark gray ball. A Dominance ball.

_Wait, _Jordan said, panic beginning to rise. _She doesn't have _another _Pokemon,_ _does she? _If they had to fight another high-level Pokemon at full health, the odds of winning were even less than before.

Venoshock opened the Dominance ball. There was a flash of light. Another Pokemon materialized in the hallway. It was a little short, bipedal, and had a long, thin tail. It's skin was orange, and it had a bit of blue on its face. A flame burned steadily at the tip of its tail.

Jordan felt his mouth go dry. He lost all feeling in his knees and would later be surprised that he hadn't fallen over. A dreadful chill spread across his entire body, shaking him to his very core.

Fireball straightened beside Salazzle. It held no familiarity in its eyes when they met Jordan's own. Instead, they held hostility.

Venoshock began to cackle. She put her hands on her knees. "Oh man, you should go find a mirror! Your expression is goddamn priceless!" She laughed some more, standing straight and throwing her head back.

Jordan opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say at all.

But a part of him knew what to do. He felt anger build up inside of him like a fire. It began to roar into rage, and his helpless expression turned into a deep scowl. He was going to tear her apart for this.

But then the fire went out as quickly as it had come. What, exactly, would he do? What could he do? Fireball had been his last hope. Scarf would be drained after the battle with Noctowl, if it won. Machoke and Excadrill would drop soon enough. They had already lost.

"Your Monferno definitely seems like it has the potential to become very strong," Venoshock commented. "I'm supposed to be a poison type user, but…" She turned to the other members. "You guys won't tell leader, will you?" They frantically shook their heads. Venoshock smiled as she turned back to Jordan. "Well, there you have it. I'll keep it just in case I ever need it. I think I might call it Surt." She grinned even wider.

Jordan clenched his teeth and fists. Was there any way to win? Any way at all? He could see none. But more importantly than that, would he even be able to manage to get his companion back?

"Alright, I think it's time," Venoshock said. "I've had my fun with verbal abuse." She flicked her hands toward Machoke and Excadrill. "Take them out."

Fireball and Salazzle moved at the same time, as if they had both been with Venoshock for years. Excadrill lasted three seconds. Salazzle defeated it with two moves sent out in quick succession. First, it sent out a puff of toxic gas that enveloped Excadrill's head. It then shot a peculiar liquid from its mouth directly into its face. After another second, Excadrill fainted.

Machoke held out a bit longer. Both of its opponents had to team up on it to get past it guard. But eventually, they managed it, and Salazzle created an opening that allowed Fireball to land a Mach Punch on its stomach. Machoke dropped to the ground.

And that was it. All of the Pokemon Jordan had freed. Defeated. He was the only one left, now. He gazed at the bodies of all of the fallen Pokemon. They had tried their hardest to regain their freedom. And for what?

"Aw, are you feeling depressed now that you know that you've lost?" Venoshock asked. Her voice held false sweetness and concern.

Jordan didn't answer. He didn't want to. He only looked at Fireball. He looked for signs of conflict. He was trying to see if there was still something left of what he'd trained in the Monferno that stood before him. There was none.

"Now your little breakout is over," Venoshock stated. "So it's time for your punishment." She sneered. "You ticked me off right from the start when I met you. I'm going to enjoy watching this." She beckoned with her left hand. "Venus, come stand over here. We're going to let Surt have a little fun."

Salazzle reluctantly stepped back to stand next to its trainer. It was clear that it had been wanting a hand in what was about to happen.

Fireball stepped up to Jordan until it was standing a foot away. It was a few feet shorter than he was, so it had to look up at him while Jordan looked down. They stared at each other for a few moments. Jordan's eyes fell to Fireball's wrist, where a bracelet-like device was attached. Jordan smiled sadly at his Pokemon.

Fireball reeled its fist back and delivered a punch directly to Jordan's stomach. It sent the boy flying backward and skidding along the ground. When he rolled to a stop, he was sputtering and coughing while holding his stomach. The pain was unimaginable. Indescribable. Jordan had never felt anything so painful before.

He had to stand back up. He slowly removed his hands from his stomach and pressed his palms against the floor. He pushed himself to a kneeling position so he could put an arm back over his stomach. He rose to his feet, wincing.

Venoshock laughed. "Okay, sure. I'll grant you your wish. Again!"

Fireball walked up to where it had sent Jordan. Again, it stopped in front of him and paused for a moment. Again, it punched Jordan, this time in the chest. Again, Jordan made no move to block or dodge. It was just as painful as the one before.

_I'm sorry._

Jordan stood back up, slower than last time. His body was growing weaker as the pain increased. Fireball punched him again in the ribs.

_I'm so sorry._

He stood up again. Another punch. This one in the face. Jordan wasn't sure if he had felt a tooth come out or not. All he could sense was pain.

_I let them take you. You risked your freedom to them off so I could give them _their _freedom. And we lost anyway._

Jordan stood up again. He hadn't even straightened completely before Fireball hit him with another Mach Punch. He hit the wall this time and slumped down. They had gone the entire distance of the hallway.

Jordan was about to attempt to get back up when Fireball jumped on top of him and began to use fury swipes. Tears were made in his skin and clothes. Blood ran down his arms and torso. He felt a swipe come dangerously close to one of his eyes. Jordan bit back a scream, as well as the instinct to fight back. He would let himself be beaten. At least it was by the one he had failed. The one who had tried to be there for him even when he had been dissatisfied or disappointed in it. The one who had really saved him.

Fireball stopped slashing. Jordan looked up at it. For a moment, he thought that maybe Fireball had broken through the Dominance ball's hold on it. But when he looked into its eyes again, it was the same determination and hostility as before. It was simply taking a breath.

Jordan reached his hand up. It shook as he lifted it. He saw cuts and bruises painted across his arm. He touched the side of his partner's face with two fingers. It didn't move away.

"I'll see you later, buddy."

Jordan let his arm fall and closed his eyes.

* * *

Extrasensory saw that Outrage was breathing hard. She didn't understand why. Sure, she had to expend some energy to dodge a few of Noctowl's attacks every now and then, but it couldn't be _that _tiring. Personally, she didn't feel any more tired than she had when they had started the battle.

Outrage's Dratini was on its last breaths. A few more direct hits and the battle would be over. With x-speed on their side, and Noctowl no longer paralyzed since Extrasensory cured it, it would be child's play.

Of course, she had to worry about the people who could be on their way to arrest her. But she wasn't very worried. It would take a long time for enough backup to arrive. She was sure that she could escape if she left quickly enough. If they managed to get rid of these kids and heal their Pokemon, they could break through the first responders. They'd lose a lot of what they had here, but they would escape.

Of course, there was something else she had been thinking about. Leader would order everything they had worked on to be destroyed before they left so the CPP couldn't advance any further. Extrasensory had been working towards a few things that might progress the study and use of Pokemon. It would be a tragedy for her to have to get rid of it.

But if she sided with the girl…

No. There was no way the CPP could change its ways. She was a nobody with no influence. Besides, they'd never allow her to join them after what she'd done.

It was time to wrap things up. "Hypnosis!" Extrasensory ordered.

Noctowl fixed its gaze on Dratini and flashed its eyes. The snake-like Pokemon dropped to the ground, asleep.

_Now, to finish it off. _"Take Down!"

Noctowl sped towards the sleeping Dratini. This was it. The fight was over.

Then the unexpected happened. As Noctowl moved towards Dratini, Outrage came out of nowhere and took her Pokemon in her arms. She kept her momentum up and managed to barely avoid Noctowl's attack.

Extrasensory paused. _But why? Why would she risk herself like that to protect her Pokemon? _Her confusion shifted to indifference. _Oh, well. She's only delaying the inevitable. _"Again!"

Noctowl stopped on a dime and changed course, heading for Outrage and the Dratini she was carrying. She wouldn't be able to avoid this one.

Just before Take Down hit, Dratini jumped out of Outrage's arms. The girl's eyes widened in fear and surprise.

_It woke up so quickly!_

Dratini and Noctowl clashed mid-air. The collision caused Noctowl to veer off slightly, missing Outrage but dragging Dratini along with it. The two of them slid along the ground before coming to a stop.

Dratini hadn't fainted yet. The heads of the two Pokemon were locked together in a contest of pure strength. Neither were using attacks.

Dratini began to glow white. Its body elongated and widened. Noctowl began to struggle more as it was pushed back. The glow faded. Noctowl was no longer fighting a Dratini. It was fighting a Dragonair.

Dragonair let out a cry as it pulsed a shock wave over Noctowl's body. Dragon rage. It then wrapped its tail around Noctowl, picked it up, and threw it towards Extrasensory. The owl Pokemon tumbled along the ground before stopping at Extrasensory's feet. It was still conscious, thankfully. They still had a chance to win.

Dragonair slithered back towards its astounded trainer and blocked her from view. Extrasensory could tell that it would protect her at all costs.

_It really cares for its trainer. And she cares for it. Even when it was clear they would lose, she tried her hardest to keep it fighting._ Extrasensory looked down at her Noctowl. She wasn't sure if she could win anymore. In fact, she was sure she didn't want to.

_People like this can change others. She's already influenced me, and I barely know her. The CPP disgusts me, and I don't want to let someone on their side win, but…_

"I yield."

* * *

Carol blinked. "What?"

Extrasensory looked her in the eye. "I yield. You win."

The last few moments had definitely been a roller coaster for Carol. She had rushed in to save Scarf from being defeated, then Scarf had woken up suddenly to save her, then it had _evolved _out of nowhere to win a skirmish. And now her opponent was surrendering.

"But why?" Carol asked with genuine confusion.

Extrasensory sighed. "The anger I had before is gone. You and I have both convinced myself that maybe you can change the CPP. I just need you to promise me that you'll remember what I've told you, and act upon it."

"But… Just like that? That was a quick turnaround that came out of nowhere…"

"Just promise me."

Carol thought about the things Extrasensory had said. Pokemon being unethically tested. Corrupt professors. "Of course," she said. "I'll look into it. I'm sure some of my friends can help as well."

Extrasensory nodded. "Right." she looked down at her Noctowl. It looked like it still wanted to fight, but it was reading the room and it seemed that it wasn't going to remain hostile. "First, let's go save those friends of yours."

"Right!" Carol said, remembering Jordan. She turned and ran down the hall. During the battle, they had moved away from the fight involving the freed Pokemon on Jordan's side and the rest of Team Dominion. She heard Extrasensory's footsteps from behind her and the sound of Noctowl flapping its wings. Scarf slithered along beside its trainer.

Carol didn't want to place her complete trust in Extrasensory, so she would have to keep an eye on her for now in case she tried to stab her in the back. For now, she would see how things played out. Her words definitely seemed sincere.

Carol couldn't get over the fact that Scarf had evolved. Finally! It had taken so long to get it to its first evolution. It should be stronger now, and she was one step closer to having the strongest Pokemon out of the four of them.

Carol rounded the corner, thinking about how it would be when Scarf finally evolved into a Dragonite. Then she saw the situation.

Her heart plummeted.

Jordan was at the far end of the hall, but even from that distance, Carol could see the shape he was in. His face was almost unrecognizable. It was covered in scratches and bruises and blood, dry and wet. He was on his side against the wall. He didn't seem to be moving.

Standing over him was Fireball. It was idle, but it was clear from the positioning of everything that it was the direct cause of Jordan's injuries. But why-

Then Carol fixed her eyes on the group in the middle of the hallway, between her and Jordan. They were laughing at the sight of her friend, bloody and beaten. One of them was laughing harder than the others. The woman had a Salazzle standing next to her. A Dominance ball was in her right hand.

Carol felt rage stir inside of herself. She growled and began to step towards the group. Each time her foot touched the floor, it felt like earthquakes were pulsing from her feet. The pain in her body faded to a dull throb.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped her head around to find Extrasensory with a calm face. At first, Carol was annoyed that she was stopping her. Then she saw that Extrasensory was holding out something to her in her palm. It was a bracelet shaped device. She also realized that while her fave was calm, Extrasensory's eyes were full of an anger that match Carol's own.

"You might need this," Extrasensory said quietly.

Carol felt a sharp appreciation as she took the device and placed it on Scarf. When she was finished, she looked back towards the group. The anger flared inside of her once more.

"Twister," She growled.

Scarf sent a tornado towards the group. It was more powerful than it had ever looked before. Team Dominion turned around at the noise, and their eyes widened. Each of them was thrown aside with the force of an attack from an evolved Pokemon.

Salazzle was thrown against a wall, as well. It fell to its knees. The Dominance ball slipped from the woman's hand. It rolled along the ground away from Carol, towards the body of a fainted Pokemon.

Except it hadn't fainted yet. It was still on its last thread. The Machoke lifted its head until it saw the Dominance ball. Then it reached out its arms, took the durable, metal capsule in its massive hand, and crushed it to smithereens with pure grip strength.

* * *

Jordan felt arms wrap around his torso. He was confused, at first. Then he realized he must've passed out from the pain. He was dreaming. Dreaming of Fireball hugging him. Because, of course, he had never felt that before. And he would never get the opportunity ever again.

Then he felt pain, and he was confused again. Was this much pain normal for a dream? He'd never felt this much of it in one before.

He found he could open his eyes. His vision was a bit red. That wasn't normal. He also felt extremely light-headed.

The red was blood. The light-headedness was because he had suffered a few blows to the skull.

Jordan's vision cleared as he began to think more. He realized that he wasn't dreaming. Fireball was hugging him in reality.

_But…what?_

Fireball pulled away, and that's when Jordan saw. Its eyes weren't the same as they had been only moments before. They were kind and friendly. They looked upon him with familiarity. Respect. Love.

There was also fire inside of them. The raging flame of anger and passion mixed into one. It was unforgiving and destructive. Nothing could stand in the path of that fire.

Fireball straightened and faced its enemies. They were standing back up. Salazzle and Venoshock were the first ones on their feet.

"No!" Venoshock was shouting. "You bitch! I'm going to break you for that!"

Fireball held up a hand to Carol, who was standing on the other side of the hall. Carol tilted her head. Jordan thought it looked like Fireball was trying to tell Carol to hold off. Eventually, Carol seemed to understand as well and nodded, backing away.

Venoshock angrily turned back to Fireball. "Oh, what?" She asked. "You want to take me on yourself?" She pointed at the fire-fighting hybrid. "Venus! Drive it into dust!"

Fireball's skin illuminated to the point where it hurt Jordan to look, though his eyes widened all the same. The Pokemon grew taller, and its limbs grew longer. Its tail increased in size, and a large flame began to spew from the top of its head. The glow faded, and an Infernape stood before Jordan.

_I-It evolved._

Fireball roared. The noise shook the very building with its volume. Salazzle roared back, though it wasn't near the magnitude of Fireball's. Fireball took off, sprinting towards its opponent. Salazzle did the same.

Jordan knew exactly the move Fireball should do. He had studied Infernape and he knew what move it learned upon evolution.

"Close Combat!" Jordan shouted with all of the energy he could muster.

Fireball's fists and feet glowed white. Salazzle blew a toxic cloud in front of itself, but Fireball moved around it and delivered a punch to Salazzle's right knee, causing it to stumble. The Infernape followed up with a kick against its side, sending it flying into the wall. Fireball rushed forward and unleashed a series of powerful blows that hit like trucks. There was nothing Salazzle could do to defend itself.

After a solid ten seconds of a pure beatdown had passed, Fireball reeled its fist back and dealt one final punch to Salazzle's face, knocking it out.


	29. Arrival And Return

**Arrival And Return**

* * *

_The primary method of achieving evolution is through battle._

_Of course, there are some who require the power of certain items._

_And then, in rare cases, the bond feeds power._

* * *

Teleportation was incredibly disorienting for Kyle. It didn't make him feel nauseous or light-headed. He simply forgot for a moment which directions were which. There was definitely no experience like it.

He still had his hands on Eve. He wrapped his hands underneath his Pokemon and carried it away, jumping backward to put distance between him and Leader. The boss of Team Dominion was busy taking in their new environment. As soon as Kyle thought he was far enough away, he began to examine his surroundings as well.

They were certainly no longer in the building they had been in before. Everything was white as far as the eye could see, even upward. Strangely, it wasn't a blinding white, though there was plenty of light to see. It was a bit familiar

_What is this place? _Had Leader taken them to some open place where they could continue their battle. What _was _his reason for taking them there, anyway?

The other thing that concerned Kyle was that this place didn't look like a room. It felt like he was outside. The space above him had no ceiling. It was quite clearly a sky. Though Kyle was sure he had never been here before, it felt…familiar, somehow.

Kyle looked down and tested the ground beneath him. It felt soft and rigid at the same time. As he tapped his feet against the substance, he noticed it was slightly transparent. Looking up to make sure Leader was still occupied, Kyle set Eve down and crouched to get a better look.

At first, Kyle couldn't make anything out. But when he squinted his eyes, he thought he could see something that looked like a circle. No, it was spherical. It was mostly blue, but there were some other bland colors that he couldn't quite discern. Gray, maybe? As Kyle examined it for a little bit longer, realization dawned upon him.

"_What do you see?"_

Kyle shot upward and took a step back. His eyes fervently searched everywhere, and when he wasn't satisfied, he spun around to see if the voice came from another direction. But he saw nothing.

"Who's there?" Kyle asked suspiciously.

Leader straightened. Kyle noticed that while the man had been examining their surroundings as much as he had, Leader had looked at them with fascination and wonderment. His face held a profound smile, like a child on Christmas morning.

"_I asked what you saw," _the voice said. It was incredibly smooth, like a clear, calm stream of flowing water.

"It's you," Kyle barely heard Leader say, as his voice was just above a whisper. His voice held traces of giddiness. "You're the one." He took out a Dominance ball and returned his Gardevoir to it.

Kyle glanced at Leader, unsure as to what it was he was talking about.

"_Please, I would like you to answer the question." _The voice insisted gently.

Kyle hesitated. He wasn't sure where to face when talking, so he simply spoke to open air. "I saw the world. Our world."

"_Yes. Very good." _Great satisfaction was detectable in the voice's words.

"Wait," Leader said, confused. "You see our Earth? Where?"

Kyle pointed downward. "Through the ground. It's like glass."

Leader frowned and looked down. He lowered himself to his stomach and put his face close to the floor. After a moment, he said, "I don't see anything. Are you sure?"

It was Kyle's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?" He asked. He looked down again to make sure he wasn't crazy. Sure enough, he could still see the Earth beneath him like he was on the moon. Could that be where he was? No, he'd be suffocating. Not to mention Teleport shouldn't be able to work like that. "Yeah, see? It's right there."

Leader stood back to his feet. "Maybe I'd get a better look if I went over there." He took a step in Kyle's direction.

Kyle took a step away. "Oh, no," he said. "You stay right there."

Leader scoffed. "Oh, please. Like you could stop me."

Kyle growled and retreated as Leader took his previous position. The environment seemed to move with him. There was no evidence of movement at all other than Leader and Eve.

Leader searched again and frowned once more. "I still don't see anything," He straightened back up and shot a glare in Kyle's direction. "This floor isn't transparent, it's as opaque as a rock."

"_You do not have the gift he holds," _the voice said again.

Leader looked around. "Gift? What gift? How do I get it for myself?"

"_Yes, a gift." _Kyle saw the air in a space a few meters away begin to shimmer and ripple slightly. A creature took form there. Kyle's jaw nearly dropped at the sight of it.

It was quadrupedal. Its skin was mostly white, with dark gray on its face and belly. The tips of its legs were gold, as was a space in the center of where its forehead would be. Four gold spokes jutted from around its torso in the shape of a wheel; shimmering green gems were implanted into each of them. It was the most regal thing Kyle had ever laid eyes upon.

More than that, everything came together in an instant. This was the being that had appeared in the light of the Arceus. It was the being that had inspired the name of Eve's move. It had sent power to Kyle to use against Team Dominion. The god of Pokemon.

"You're the creature I saw in the Arceus!" Kyle was surprised to hear Leader say.

Kyle turned towards his enemy. "Wait, you've seen this before?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

Leader nodded enthusiastically. "In the first Arceus. Nobody believed me when I told them. None of them had seen it. It showed itself to me, and me alone." His eyes shone with excitement.

Kyle turned back to the magnificent creature, who was watching Leader. _So, it showed itself to others, too? I wonder, could be the only ones who've seen it before?_

"How did we get here?" Kyle asked. Then he reconsidered his question. "Actually, wait. First of all, where are we?"

"_This is my domain,"_ the creature said. Its mouth never moved, yet the voice was clearly coming from it. "_You are standing in the center of my power, technically, though you could also say it has been formed and shaped by it. Others might say that this place is simply me. That would also be accurate."_

The idea made Kyle feel strange and awed at the same time. He looked around once more, this time with increased knowledge. This place was the creature's power? Was how big it was a representation of how much strength it had?"

"_As to how you managed to transport yourselves here," _the creature continued, "_I believe that is due to Destiny Bond. It creates a connection between two of what you call Pokemon. Your Pokemon is tied to my own essence, as well as this place. He figured that out and used his Pokemon to teleport to my domain."_

"Should that even be possible?" Kyle wondered.

"_I certainly never thought about it." _There was a trace of humor in its voice, along with a tinge of regret.

"What's your name?"

The being turned to Kyle. He felt the judgment in its gaze. "_I do not have one. I was commonly referred to as the Alpha, but I believe your people called me the Arceus." _

Kyle nodded. "I'll just call you Arceus, then." It felt strange to be assigning a name to a god.

"Arceus," Leader said dreamily. "I've come to offer myself."

Kyle furrowed his brow. Arceus turned to face Leader. Its expression was unreadable. "_Yes, I am aware," _it said sadly. "_I have observed your exploits."_

Leader grinned. "Then you have seen my great achievements!" He said proudly. "I come to offer a place as your companion. You will use me a vessel to fight beside."

"_You wish to be my master," _Arceus said. His words sounded almost dry, which was difficult to imagine when they were from a higher being.

Leader's grin didn't fade. "Of course not," he insisted. "None could be a master of a being such as yourself. I simply wish to have the honor of guiding you through battle."

_Does he realize how stupid he sounds when he puts it like that? _Kyle wondered.

Arceus made a noise that sounded like a sigh. "_You cannot," _it said.

Leader's face fell. "What?"

"_You cannot."_

"But why?" Leader stammered. "I've worked so hard to get here! You showed yourself to me! What was that supposed to mean?"

"_It was not supposed to mean anything," _Arceus stated. "_It was a matter of pure coincidence."_

Leader's mouth fell upon in apparent outrage. He looked like a child who was being kept from his toys. Then he closed his mouth and twisted it into a snarl.

"It's because of this _gift_ you mentioned, isn't it?" He asked accusingly.

"_That is certainly a reason, though having the gift alone does not do anything by itself," _Arceus said.

Kyle spoke up with a question. "What is the gift?" He asked. "I don't even know what it is. How did I get it?"

Arceus turned to Kyle. "_I would have thought you would have figured it out by now." _It nodded its head towards the Eevee at Kyle's feet. "_The anomaly is the gift."_

"Eve?" Kyle looked down at his Pokemon. It was sitting on the transparent ground while watching Arceus, head tilted to the side. Kyle could tell it was curious as well as deeply honored.

Kyle knew that Eve had been affected by Arceus's power somehow. That was what allowed it to use Judgment. But how did that affect his ability to see through the ground?

"Well," Leader said, "If that Pokemon is the gift, I want it." He took out a Dominance ball from his pocket.

Kyle readied himself for battle. Leader was probably about to send Null back out to resume their fight. Once it had materialized, there would be a command for an attack no more than a second later.

Leader pitched the Dominance ball. Kyle felt a chill. People didn't throw Poke balls to send out their Pokemon. Flashy as it was, it was incredibly inconvenient to retrieve it so they could return their partners to their containers. No, Leader isn't sending out a Pokemon. He was trying to catch Kyle's.

"Eve! Get out of there!" Kyle warned.

Eve darted to the left as the Dominance ball neared its body. The black ball tapped the ground and bounced a few times before rolling to a stop.

_He caught us by surprise, _Kyle thought. _That could've been bad._

At first, Kyle chided himself for being so worried. Eve was registered to a Dominance ball. It wouldn't be so easy to capture it. But then he remembered that he and his friends hadn't found the Poke balls that belonged to their Pokemon. They could be destroyed, meaning it would only take Leader one accurate throw to take Eve from him.

_But Arceus would help, wouldn't it? _Kyle wondered. He felt a little reassurance at the thought. He looked towards the higher being.

It hadn't moved at all when Leader had thrown the Dominance ball. It was staring at Kyle with a look of... regret?

"_Forgive me," _Arceus said solemnly. "_I will not be able to assist you well here. I will explain."_

"I think it's time we finish our battle," Leader said. "Don't you, Judgment?"

Kyle bent down to pick up the Dominance ball and put it in his pocket while Arceus continued to speak. It'd be better if Leader had fewer resources to work with.

"_First of all, know that he can't hear me right now," _Arceus reassured. "_As this is my domain, I can control where my voice can be heard. However, it would do you well to speak quietly, as I cannot control your own volume or direction."_

Kyle nodded as his eyes stared into blank space. His caution prevented him from looking in Arceus's direction, lest Leader catch on.

"I think you're right," Kyle called over to Leader, who grinned.

Leader reached into his pocket and removed two Dominance balls. "Sorry," he said. "But I'm going to be trying to capture your Pokemon now, too." He put his hands into the air with a shrug and gave a sorry-not-sorry look. "I know it's against the rules we made, but I thought I'd let you know so you can at least try to work around it."

Kyle grimaced. Paying attention to when Leader would throw the Dominance ball was problematic. He would have to take extra caution and stay on his toes even more.

"_While he may have an advantage in that," _Arceus explained as if reading Kyle's thoughts, "_You and the anomaly have advantages as well."_

"Such as?" Kyle muttered under his breath.

"_Well, a fraction of my power resides in your Pokemon. As this is my domain, your Eevee is bound to be stronger here. "_

Kyle paused. It certainly made sense, and it was incredibly convenient. His outlook on the approaching battle became much brighter.

Leader opened one of the Dominance balls in his hand. Null materialized on the blank ground beneath everyone's feet. It stamped its feet and assumed a battle stance. It seemed ready for more of what was happening when it had left.

"Null," Leader said. The Pokemon turned and Leader crouched down. Kyle watched uncertainty, wondering what his foe was up to.

Then, strangely, Leader began to rub Null's head affectionately. Or, rather, the helmet that covered it. His words were inaudible, as he was speaking quietly, but Kyle could tell that the tone was soothing.

"What's he saying?" Kyle asked quietly to Arceus.

"_He is comforting his Pokemon," _Arceus said. "_He is explaining that he would very much wish for it to be victorious and that he believes in it with all that he has. I cannot tell if his words are sincere or not." _Arceus paused. "_He has also given it a name."_

Kyle had to admit that he was caught off guard. He would never have expected a man like Leader to treat Pokemon so kindly. He had expected someone who preferred to use them as tools. Then again, it could all be an act. Kyle liked that idea more. It made it easier to see Leader as an enemy. But what name for Null could Leader have chosen?

Leader finished talking and patted Null on the helmet one more time with an encouraging smile before returning to a stand. Null took a few steps away from its trainer. It then fell incredibly still for a few moments. Kyle became curious and waited to see if anything else would happen.

"_Extraordinary," _Arceus said quietly.

"What?" Kyle said a little louder than he had intended to. He frantically checked to see if Leader noticed, by his eyes were still on his Pokemon. Kyle spoke again, this time making sure he was whispering. "What's extraordinary?"

Arceus didn't answer his question, and quite frankly, it didn't have to. Immediately after Kyle asked his question, Null began to roar from beneath its helmet. It seemed to be struggling against absolutely nothing. It began to thrash its head. Then it began to glow.

Kyle felt a sharp discomfort. _No way._

Null let out one last, long cry before its helmet shattered completely. Pieces of iron flew in all directions. Kyle couldn't make out any features of its head underneath the helmet, as the Pokemon was still glowing.

Null began to grow in size. Its fin-like tail widened and the axe-shaped horn on the top of its head split into three parts. Each one looked like a kitchen knife.

Once the evolution was complete, the glow faded and Kyle examined his improved opponent. Null's body hadn't changed much in appearance, but its head was a different story. It had appeared to be dark gray underneath the helmet before, but now it was a stark white. It looked magnificent, to say the least.

"Perfect," Kyle muttered.

"_You were aware this would not be difficult when you started," _Arceus said.

"Yeah, well, maybe," Kyle admitted, knowing that he was complaining a little more than necessary. "But I'm kinda tired of all of these damn inconveniences."

"_Yes, well, this is your last fight, so you can go home soon," _Arceus sounded more human when he said these words. His other words were more divine.

"If I win," Kyle added.

"_If you win."_

"So can you help me out a little, at least?" Kyle asked hopefully.

"_I do not want to expend too much of my energy," _Arceus said. "_I require it for other purposes, so I will regretfully be unable to fight by your side. It is a stretch to make a projection of myself at the moment."_

Kyle sighed. "Right."

"_However," _Arceus continued. "_I am no stranger to battles between Pokemon. I will try to give you the best advice I can throughout the battle."_

Kyle nodded. That was something, at least.

"Ready?" Leader asked from thirty feet away.

"Yeah, let's go," Kyle replied. He took a deep breath and concentrated his determination. "I'm finishing this here."

* * *

Adrien couldn't see anything. Blackness covered his vision. He tried opening his eyes to see if that was the problem. Then he realized that he couldn't feel his eyelids or his eyes for that matter. He ran a check down his entire body and found that he couldn't feel even a single part of it. Not his hands, not his feet, not his head. Nothing.

He assumed someone normal might've freaked out in his situation. They would've panicked as they tried to figure out what was the matter. They would've driven themselves insane. They might think they would act calmly in his situation, but they would be wrong.

Adrien wasn't normal. As soon as he realized his entire body was numb - or that his body no longer existed - he sighed. Tried to, at least. He no longer had the lungs to breathe a sigh, nor a mouth to channel the air. So instead he pretended to sigh in his mind as he floated aimlessly in nothingness.

Adrien suddenly felt a sudden presence. It felt as if he could reach out and touch it if he still had arms and hands and fingers. It called to him, tender and yet firm. Adrien could also sense something else coming from it. Was it desperation?

_Who's there? _He wondered.

_**It is I.**_

The voice from before. Adrien hadn't heard it since it had invited him to a good time.

Adrien felt surprised. _Can you hear me?_

_**Yes.**_

Adrien was utterly fascinated. This place, these circumstances, this presence being able to read his mind... needless to say, it was an interesting experience.

Adrien began to remember what had occurred. He had been battling Dream Eater. He'd been having a lot of fun. Then the building began to shake, and a piece of falling debris had struck him in the head. He didn't recall anything happening after that.

He wanted to ask. However, he wasn't sure if he would like the answer or not. He wasn't afraid or anxious about it, but it would definitely put a damper on things.

_Am I dead?_

_**Yes. Your heart has stopped beating.**_

Adrien tried to sigh again. It wasn't that he minded being deceased. He didn't really care about that. But he had been having a lot of fun when the rock had fallen on his head. He and Dream Eater didn't get to finish their battle. That was upsetting.

Kyle and the others were still fighting, as well. Adrien felt a sharp twinge of regret at that thought. He didn't want to be arrogant or prideful, but he knew that they might need him. He found himself wishing he could've done more.

And Chu. His Pikachu no longer had a trainer. It would have to find a new one or live in the wild. Adrien began to feel sorrow as he realized that it would've been much better for everyone else if he had stayed alive.

_How can I still think? _Adrien asked.

_**Your mind still works slightly. Not to mention your spirit is still intact.**_

Adrien wanted to chuckle. _Spirit? So I guess humans do have those, then._ He felt agreement from the presence.

_**Yes. Soon, your spirit will fade into nothingness. **_

_Ah. So this is just a transition?_

_**Correct. **_

_And you're here to comfort me while I die for real?_

_**Not exactly. **_

Adrien's curiosity piqued. _Why then?_

_**Do you want to keep on living?**_

The question was almost rhetorical. _Yes, I would, _Adrien thought. _But there's not much I can do about it, is there?_

**I** _**can do something about it.**_

Adrien wanted to laugh. _What do you mean? There's nothing we can do. We're only human, after all._

_**You are human.**_

_And you're me._

_**You believe I am only a voice in your head? A product of your instability?**_

_Aren't you?_

Adrien felt a wave of anger build in the presence. Fear began to course through him for a moment. That was strange. He'd never felt that scared before. Anxious, maybe, but never frightened. The anger settled down after a moment into a forced calm.

_**I am not a voice. I am a being. I would have thought my display of power would have proven that to you.**_

Adrien remembered how confused and surprised he had been when Chu broke down the door to the room Dream Eater had locked him in. He still hadn't come up with a definitive explanation as to what had actually happened.

_I mean, I didn't have any way of knowing for sure, _Adrien thought softly.

_**Well, you are now aware. **_

It was difficult to imagine. Another person was talking to him in his head? While the remains of his spirit drifted away? Was it even a person?

_What are you?_ Adrien wondered.

_**I am the Renegade.**_

_Okay, _Adrien thought, dissatisfied, _that's nowhere near specific enough. _

_**Technically, though I do not wish to compare myself to such a feeble creature, I am a Pokemon.**_

_A Pokemon? _

_**Correct.**_

_A talking Pokemon._

_**We are not talking. We are simply connected in a way that allows us to exchange our thoughts and feelings.**_

_How?_

_**I have forged a bond with you. **_

Adrien had no idea what was happening at this point. He was also sensing impatience from the presence, or being.

_**I can answer any questions you have later. We are running out of time at the moment. You need only answer me this: Do you wish to live?**_

_Sure. _He wanted to see his friends again. He was still unsure of the capability of this identity to resurrect him, but it was worth a try, he decided.

_**One more condition. **_

_What is it?_

_**By doing this, we will forever entwine ourselves to each other. Our bond will become much stronger than before and my personality may merge with yours slightly. This will also affect your Pokemon, the one you call Chu, as well.**_

_How much? _

_**I am unsure.**_

Adrien didn't mind a few personality changes, as long as they weren't major. He was willing to take a risk.

_Okay. Do whatever you need to do. _

Adrien sensed immense satisfaction from the being. It was so strong that it numbed a few of his other thoughts and feelings. There was no grin Adrien had ever seen that might convey how pleased the presence was.

_**Very well. Let us proceed.**_

Adrien felt very warm all of a sudden. It was not comfortable nor pleasant. However, it also wasn't painful. It was like having a sore muscle. It felt uncomfortable, and yet he could also feel...power. A lot of it. He felt as if he could sunder mountains with it.

He began to feel again. He had a body. He had hands he could clench and toes he could curl. He felt his eyes return, and he opened them. The presence he once felt around him was now inside of him. He could sense it there, feeding him power.

Then he could breathe again.

* * *

_**You are the greatest power in the universe.**_

_**You are violence incarnate.**_

_**You are my vessel.**_

_**And we will be victorious.**_


	30. Vessels

**Vessels**

* * *

_And now, we have the final-_

The Alpha's - no, it was now called Arceus - train of thought froze in its tracks. Something was very wrong. Things were not as they should be. It was like finding a scratch on a gemstone, except the gemstone was actually on the brink of being cut clean in half.

Arceus dismissed the battle about to commence before it and focused on the sight occurring outside of its domain. It was looking underneath the surface of the Earth, inside the complex where the boy and the anomaly came from.

_No. This shouldn't be possible._

* * *

Dream Eater still kneeled on the ground, unmoving. He had closed his eyes a long time ago, but he had not fallen asleep. He had simply stayed where he was. He didn't know where else to go. For one of the first times in his life, he felt lost.

He could sense Midnight was nearly distraught as he. For once, the Gengar's signature smile didn't match its eyes. Its red eyes were dark and full of disappointment. It hadn't moved from behind Dream Eater since Shadow Force's pulse had stopped, either.

The Pikachu was no better off. Its tall ears were pressed flat against its head as tears continued to fall from its eyes. Dream Eater had never witnessed a Pokemon cry before. He'd never seen two creatures of a different species care so much for each other, either.

The air suddenly felt strange. Dream Eater didn't know how else to describe it, but something felt…off. He opened his eyes. The Pokemon must have noticed the change in atmosphere as well. Chu stopped spreading tears for a moment. Midnight shifted in place.

Dream Eater looked around for any other evidence as to what the change might have been. He came up with nothing. He looked to the Pokemon beside him to see if they were having better luck.

Chu had perked up. Its ears went straight again and it moved to all fours. It jumped on top of Shadow Force and began to nudge him a bit.

_What? _Dream Eater watched, puzzled, as Chu continued to shake its trainer. _But he's dead, isn't he? _He thought sullenly. He put a finger on his throat under his jaw to feel the lack of a heartbeat.

_Thump._

Dream Eater's eyes widened. He pulled back and stood on his feet. Sweat began to drop from the top of his head and around his face. His mouth was wide open in utter bewilderment.

_But...how?!_

The strangeness of the environment became more noticeable and prominent. Dream Eater realized he could detect emotions from it. Triumph. Anger. Hatred. Most of all, a desire to hurt. No, a desire to kill.

Shadow Force's eyes snapped open. He jerked upward to a sitting position. He gasped for air, heaving heavily. Damp blood covered one side of his face, though the wound in his head was no longer bleeding.

Dream Eater was still baffled. More than that, however, he could feel fear stirring in his chest. Just who was this boy? How could he possibly have come back from the dead? His heart had stopped beating!

"H-how..."

Shadow Force gained his composure and examined the Pikachu on his lap. He smiled, putting a hand out to rub Chu's head. The Pokemon was pleased and began to cry again. However, these seemed to be tears of joy.

"How?"

Shadow Force glanced at Dream Eater. He kept his smile while Chu moved off of his lap so he could stand. As he arrived on his feet, Dream Eater noticed that one of the boy's jacket sleeves had also been drenched in his own blood, leaving practically one-half of his body black, while the right side was a dark red. It made him look demonic.

"Well, shouldn't we continue where we left off?" Shadow Force asked plainly.

Dream Eater still had his mouth open. Fear and uncertainty still gripped him. And yet, he felt happiness deep inside of him. He tapped it and felt it flood him. His mouth closed and spread into a wide grin. He walked backward until he was behind Midnight. Chu pranced forward and blocked the path to its trainer.

"Of course. Let's continue," Dream Eater said. "No interruptions this time. One of us is going down."

* * *

Eve and Null's evolution rushed towards each other through the blank vastness of Arceus's domain. Before meeting in the middle, the trainers called out their attacks.

"Double Kick!" Kyle shouted.

"X-scissor!" Leader called.

The Pokemon that was once Null was much faster than it had been before, which meant it was now ludicrously faster than Eve. It's front claws glowed green. It jumped into the air, raising its front legs before slashing downwards with its claws in an x formation. Before Eve could even register in its mind the move Kyle had told it to perform, it was slashed on the back by X-scissor. It went underneath its enemy's body, which landed on the ground like a feather between it and Kyle.

Kyle grimaced. Eve was surrounded on both sides now. He watched Leader intently to see if he would try his hand at catching Eve once more. This was going to be much more difficult than it had been before. Fortunately, he had Arceus to give him some advice.

"Hey, I might need your help sooner than we thought," Kyle whispered. There was no response.

"I thought I might share the name I came up with for my Pokemon!" Leader called over.

"Yeah?" Kyle said, trying to keep the concern at Arceus's absence out of his voice. He frantically began to worry that the higher being had left him.

"I call him Silvally!" Leader said proudly.

Kyle didn't respond to him. He was focused on getting a god's attention. "Arceus!" He whispered harshly.

After another moment, Arceus's voice appeared beside him. "_Apologies. I was...occupied with something else for a moment."_

_Something that could distract it from this? _Kyle thought. _Not to mention it sounds worried. What could have happened? _

"I need you to offer some strategies as to how I might defeat this guy," Kyle said.

"_Continue to fight. I need to see how he fights with that new Pokemon of his. I'll be sure to have something you can use before the anomaly faints."_

_I can't tell if that's reassuring or not, _Kyle realized with a sigh. "Judgment!"

"Charge through with Iron Head!" Leader countered.

Countless individual beams of light shot from empty space in front of Eve's face. They streaked towards Silvally like missiles. The majestic Pokemon's head flashed a metallic glow. It charged forward as its master commanded, plowing straight past Eve's attack. As each beam struck, they were deflected in a random direction. Silvally continued on and struck Kyle's Pokemon once again, throwing it backward. As it skidded towards Leader's feet, the man cast an impish grin as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another Dominance ball.

"Eve! Kick the ground with double kick and get out of there!"

The Eevee did as it was advised. Its legs glowed white as it slammed one of them into the ground, changing its trajectory. It then made another kick, allowing it to gain more speed until it was far enough away from Leader so that Kyle was comfortable. Its legs stopped glowing and it stood in place. Leader still held the ball in his hand in preparation to throw. He let his arm down, still clutching the device.

Leader smirked. "I guess the gap between the strength of our Pokemon is simply too great. Your attacks simply bounce off at this point."

Kyle scowled.

"_He is correct, you know," _Arceus said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kyle said dismissively. "But there isn't much I can do about it."

Arceus hesitated. "_You are aware you can evolve your Pokemon, yes?" _It spoke tenderly as if it very much hoped that what it said was true.

"It didn't work last time," Kyle reminded the higher being. "It devolved, remember?"

Arceus was silent for a moment.

"There's something you're not telling me," Kyle concluded.

When Arceus spoke again, there was surprise detectable in its voice. "_How do you know?"_

Kyle blinked. He had never made an observation as difficult as that before. Carol was the one who was good at that kind of reading. How _did_ he know?

"_Nonetheless, you are correct," _Arceus said. "_There are things I wish for you and the rest of those you call 'trainers' to learn for yourselves. However, there may be a need for an exception in this case."_

"Okay, so what do you have for me?"

"_Your Pokemon is my anomaly. It shares traits with myself," _Arceus explained. "_I know you've figured this out through the move which you called Judgment."_

"What's your point?" Kyle asked. He was multitasking. He had to give commands to Eve in between questions while the battle in front of him waged on. He was focusing mostly on dodging with the maneuverability Double Kick offered. However, Leader was sure to catch on soon enough.

"_Call your Eevee back and use one of your stones to evolve it," _Arceus suggested.

_Easier said than done, _Kyle thought. If he plainly called for Eve to return to him, Leader could simply order Silvally to stand guard and intercept it. But what other option did he have?

Kyle opened his mouth to summon Eve, but before he could even get the words out the Eevee was already heading towards him as it dodged another one of Silvally's attacks. It bounced along the with Double Kick and skidded up to its trainer's feet.

_I didn't even call it, _Kyle noted. But there was no time to worry about it now. He was still clutching the ice stone in his left hand. Still in his pocket was the leaf stone, but at this point, Kyle doubted he would have a use for it. He would evolve Eve into Glaceon once more, as that was what he preferred.

Leader saw what was happening, yet made no move to prevent it. Kyle was certain he would have if he had known what was being planned beforehand. For now, he waved to hand to Silvally, stopping it in its tracks, and patiently waited.

"Looking to make things easier for you, eh?" He taunted. Kyle elected to ignore it. He held out the ice stone to Eve.

"_Hold on a moment," _Arceus said.

Kyle stopped and withdrew his hand. "What is it?" He asked.

The air directly above Eve seemed to shift for a moment, similar to when Arceus's body materialized earlier. Only this time, the whiteness was taking on a different shape. It formed an object that was long and thin, like a strip of stark white cloth. As Kyle watched in awe, the construct of Arceus's power wrapped itself around Eve's midsection like a belt or a rubber band. Eve seemed to find it comfortable.

Leader's eyes widened at the sight, then narrowed. He turned towards Arceus's projection.

"Taking sides, are we?" He angrily accused. "Fine! I'll beat them to shreds anyway. Just you watch."

"_Take out your other evolutionary stone as well," _Arceus said, ignoring Leader's small outburst.

"The leaf stone? What for?" Kyle asked doubtingly, though he still removed it from his pocket. What use could he or Arceus have for two stones?

"_Press them against your Pokemon's back, where the harness I forged is."_

Kyle did as he was told. As he placed the two stones next to each other on Eve's back, the belt-like object changed shape, wrapping itself around the stones as well, securing them in place.

"_It doesn't use too much of my power, and I can always reclaim it once we are finished here," _Arceus explained.

"Okay, that's good, but how does this hel-" Kyle stopped talking but kept his mouth where he was when he realized it. "Wait."

"_You are correct," _was all Arceus said. "_Now go. Continue the fight."_

Kyle still had his mouth open. Then he began to chuckle.

"Hey," Leader said with a frown. "I don't see what's so funny. Your Pokemon isn't going to benefit much from whatever that is."

Kyle smiled at him. Leader didn't seem any more nervous because of it.

But he was about to be.

* * *

_**I do not know why you made us wear this device in the first place. I do not require it.**_

"I know," Adrien said as he sidestepped out of the way of a Shadow Ball. "I didn't want him to be suspicious. Besides, it's more fun if he knows I can hurt him."

_**I suppose you provide a defendable point. However, concerning the suspicion, I believe I can confirm he is no longer suspects us of having any strange abilities. Now he is **_**sure** _**that we have strange abilities.**_

Adrien shrugged. "Oh, well." Another Shadow Ball. This one almost caught him in the abdomen, but he managed to move away just in time. "Do you want me to take it off?" He asked.

_**I do not need you to remove it for me. I will destroy it when I see fit to do so. **_

"So, were you just complaining, then?" Adrien asked slyly.

The voice didn't respond. Adrien chuckled. He still wasn't sure how he felt about it. Until now, he had thought it had simply been his mental imbalance taking on a new form. He had multiple reasons now to believe that wasn't true. Well, the mental imbalance portion was still sound.

It called itself the Renegade and that was all it had told Adrien about its identity. So many things about it were unknown, yet it had literally brought Adrien back from the realm of the deceased. Most would've wanted to know how that was possible in the first place, but the only thing Adrien was concerned about was why. Why go through the trouble for someone like him? Had anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

_It also mentioned something about Pokemon, _Adrien remembered. _Could the two phenomena be connected somehow?_

Adrien lost focus and almost allowed Midnight to use Hypnosis on him. He quickly raised his hand to cover his eyes, barely making it in time. Chu used the opening and used Thunderbolt. A large streak of lightning burst from the Pikachu's body and shot into Midnight's smile. The Gengar stood its ground, however, absorbing the shock.

"Poison Jab!" Dream Eater commanded.

Midnight's hand glowed purple as it darted towards Chu. The Pikachu used its tail and batted Midnight's arm, causing its attack to go off course. The Gengar tried spinning around with its momentum, trying to punch again, but Chu was already darting away. Midnight's attack met empty air.

"Thunder Wave!" Adrien called.

Chu fired a small jolt from its cheeks in Midnight's direction. The Gengar easily dodged it, but Adrien had planned for this.

"Thunderbolt!"

Chu increased its electricity output from Thunder Wave level to Thunderbolt level in an instant as it fired in the direction Midnight dodged. Its accuracy and prediction were both sound, but Midnight managed to avoid the attack anyway. The attack simply didn't travel fast enough.

_I can't use Quick Attack since its a ghost type, _Adrien thought. _In fact, the only moves I can use in this fight are Thunderbolt and Thunder Wave. It's clear that he can easily pick up on my attack pattern._

_**I have something you can try.**_

* * *

"Eve, use Double Kick!"

Eve propelled itself along the ground in a zig-zag motion, exactly as Kyle had wanted it to approach. As it neared Silvally, Leader called out a counter.

"Predict it and block with Iron Head!" He called.

The top of Silvally's head flashed metallic and it moved its head along with Eve's quick movements. Kyle had thought this through already. Silvally would most likely manage to block the attack and counter. It just had to time its block correctly.

But things were going to happen differently than Leader thought.

"Evolve into Leafeon!" Kyle called.

Eve glowed for a brief moment before growing in size and shape, as well as changing in color. It evolved into Leafeon in the time between one set of Double Kick. Its ears and tail resembled leaves and there were small tufts of green fur on its body. The leaf stone on its backside was gone, though the ice stone still remained.

Eve immediately began to move faster, causing Silvally to fail in its timing. Eve struck Silvally in the leg, kicking it out from underneath it. It would be unable to move for another moment.

"Use another set of Double Kick!"

Eve kicked the prone Silvally again, this time in the side. The opponent was pushed backward, causing it to roll along the ground. It then took advantage of its momentum and popped into the air before landing and regaining its footing.

_We should retreat, for now, _Kyle decided. _I don't have any more openings._

Eve backed away towards its trainer as soon as Kyle had the thought. It had been doing that more and more often.

Leader had his eyebrows raised. "So, you evolved mid-attack. Fairly clever. It's unfortunate that you won't be able to do it again."

Kyle grinned. _Oh, that's not even half of what I had planned._

Leader thrust his arm forward. "Air Slash!"

Silvally swiped with one set of claws, sending a blade of compressed air towards Eve. The Leafeon instinctively dodged to the side. It was much faster now, so it was out of the way long before the slash had reached it.

"Razor Leaf!" Kyle called.

Leaves sharper than kitchen knives sprouted from Eve's body and shot towards Silvally. The leaves were equally as fast as the Air Slash, but there were many of them, though they might be weaker.

"Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Silvally danced around as its head changed once more. As it tried to move around, the leaves followed. Some missed, while others simply tapped Silvally's head and fell to the ground. However, some managed to break past its defenses and make small cuts in its legs and body.

"Follow up with Double Kick!" Kyle said, feeling confident.

Eve rushed towards Silvally, back legs glowing. Unfortunately, Silvally was able to recover before the Leafeon reached it. Its front claws glowed green as it raised its front legs for X-scissor. There was no time for Eve to change direction and get out of the way. Not to mention, Bug-type moves were extremely effective against a grass type like Leafeon.

Kyle couldn't get Eve out of the way. But he could soften the blow.

"Now, switch to Glaceon!" Kyle called.

Eve's entire body glowed white briefly as Silvally was slashing downward. Then it was an Eevee again. The leaf stone reappeared in its place next to the ice stone. It began to glow again but was stopped as X-scissor hit its mark and Eve was stopped in its tracks as it was slashed across its front. It was thrown to the ground where it lay open to any attack.

_So we can't switch straight to another type, _Kyle noted. _We have to devolve first._

"Use X-scissor again while it's down!" Leader called.

_Crap!_ "Hurry! Switch to Glaceon!" Kyle tried again.

Eve glowed once more and changed to the ice type while it was down. The ice stone disappeared this time. Now Eve would have more defense to guard against the attack.

Kyle cringed as Eve was hit again by X-scissor, but it wouldn't have been much worse if Eve didn't evolve so quickly. As soon as the attack was over, Silvally raised its claws again. Kyle wouldn't give it the chance to attack a second time.

"Judgment!" Kyle called.

Beams of sky blue light fired rapidly from Eve's body into Silvally's exposed front. The synthetic Pokemon cried out and jumped backward, covering the places where the beams struck. Eve pushed itself back to its feet and retreated to where Kyle stood.

"Those beams were blue," Kyle whispered to himself.

"_Indeed," _Arceus said. "_Judgment is a move I myself can use. As you've probably guessed, I have an ability that allows me to change my type. That is why the anomaly can do the same. The move type reflects the current type of the Pokemon using it."_

"So I just hit Silvally with an Ice-type attack," Kyle finished, smiling.

"_Correct," _Arceus confirmed, "_and it would have been grass if the anomaly had been a Leafeon."_

"An Eevee definitely shouldn't be able to do that," Leader said, frowning. At first, Kyle thought he had heard him and Arceus talking before he realized Leader was talking about Eve switching between evolutions.

Kyle grinned. "I've spent a lot of time looking at potential evolutions for my Eevee," e said proudly. "I know the _exact _base statistics for each one. We can adapt to any attack you throw our way and to any attack I hit you with."

Leader nodded. "Interesting. But will it be enough for you? I think not."

The two fell silent as they waited for the other to make a move. Kyle definitely wasn't going to strike first, so he waited for Leader to make a move.

Eventually, his patience was rewarded. "Air Slash!"

Glaceon was slower than Leafeon, so Eve couldn't maneuver around the attack, so instead, it jumped over with a small hop, trying to minimize the time it spent in the air. As it did so, Silvally came charging forward, following its previous attack.

"Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Kyle didn't have time to switch before he needed to block the attack. "Bite!"

As Silvally thrust its now hard-as-iron head towards Eve, the Glaceon opened its mouth and caught it in its teeth. The impact caused Eve to slide backward, but it eventually managed to come to a stop. Silvally struggled with it as both attempted to push the other back in a contest of strength. It was clear to Kyle that Silvally was the bigger and stronger Pokemon, so he worked around that.

"Double Kick!"

Eve threw its head to the side, using Silvally's strength against it. The larger Pokemon stumbled past, leaving its side exposed. Eve kicked at it twice with its glowing hind legs. Kyle grinned in satisfaction.

Before the attack landed, however, Silvally flashed metallic blue for a moment. It happened in an instant and Kyle wondered what it had been.

As Eve's attack hit its mark, Silvally brushed it off like it was nothing. Kyle's eyes widened. Eve landed on its feet as it finished the move and looked up at its opponent, shocked as well. Silvally's head then flashed to silver as it used Iron Head. It headbutted the enemy right in front of it. Eve was blown backward as it let out a loud cry of pain.

_What? _Kyle wondered. _It tanked Double Kick even though it's supposed to be super effective against normal-types. How is that even possible? _

"Arceus?" Kyle asked.

"_I do not know," _the higher being said. It sounded very concerned. "_Its type shifted somehow as mine does. It should not be possible."_

Leader, apparently surprised as well, blinked at his Pokemon before letting out a hearty laugh.

"I'm not seeing things, am I?" He asked between laughs.

As the two humans watched, Silvally flashed multiple different colors: Blue, red, green, brown, purple, pink, silver, and so on. With each flash, Arceus relayed what type Silvally was switching to. With each flash, Leader laughed in delight. With each flash, Kyle felt the pit in his stomach grow deeper.

"My, how the tables have turned!" Leader commented.

Kyle gritted his teeth. "Eve, use Judgment!"

Silvally flashed red, switching to a Fire-type. Kyle watched as it coated itself in flames before rushing forward. The Ice-type Judgment dissolved as it passed through the fire. Silvally closed in and slammed into its target.

_Damn! Was that Flame Wheel?_ Kyle wondered. Then he shook his head. _No, it couldn't have been. Jordan's Monferno looks different when it uses Flame Wheel. This was something different._

Leader laughed again. "It must've learned a new move when it evolved. If I had to guess, I'd say it's like that move you use. The one with the light. I'll call it Multi-Attack"

_Silvally has a move that changes type too?! _Kyle thought.

"_It is true," _Arceus said.

Kyle was taking his time in processing his new situation, but Leader elected not to give him any.

"Now, switch to Normal-type and use Iron Head!" Leader ordered.

Silvally flashed white and coated its head in iron, charging forward.

_Okay, this is fine, _Kyle thought as he tried to keep a cool head. _Fighting-type moves are strong against Normal types. _"Double Kick!"

Eve rushed forward to meet Silvally halfway, hind legs glowing. As it leaped forward to deliver a set of blows, Leader gave another command to his Pokemon.

"Switch to Ghost-type!" He called.

_Shit._

Silvally flashed dark purple. Eve's attack passed harmlessly through Silvally's body as if it were made of air. Silvally then rounded on it and slammed its head against the startled Glaceon. The impact threw Eve into Kyle, sending them both to the ground.

Kyle and his Pokemon pushed themselves to their feet. This was bad. Silvally had more options to choose from than Eve and it didn't have to switch back to Normal-type before changing to a different type. Kyle had thought he would gain an extreme advantage with his switching, but Leader had just one-upped him.

"How can we win?" Kyle asked Arceus. He didn't expect an answer.

After a long moment, Arceus spoke hesitantly. "_There is something else you can attempt."_

* * *

"What?" Adrien asked curiously.

_**You must close your eyes and concentrate for a moment. **_

Adrien scoffed. "I'm not in much of a position for that," He said as he eyed Midnight, trying to figure out if its next attack would target him or Chu.

_**Your Pokemon and I will protect you. Do it now.**_

Adrien sighed and closed his eyes, putting his faith in his Pokemon. The sounds of battle continued in front of him as he focused.

* * *

"_There is a presence in your mind. One that is not your own," _Arceus said. "_Can you feel it?"_

Kyle drew his attention from the battle to focus on his mind. Now that Arceus had mentioned it, he could feel another set of thoughts and feelings in his mind. Now that he had noticed it, it felt like it had been there forever, slowly becoming more prominent.

"Yes," Kyle responded. "I can."

"_Try closing your eyes and concentrating on it."_

* * *

_**There is another consciousness in your mind. You must tap into it. **_

At first, Adrien was slightly confused at the Renegade's words. But as he turned his attention back to his brain, he saw that it was telling the truth. The presence was clearly there. It was similar to what the Renegade's presence felt like, but not quite as strong. Though it seemed to have much more positive emotions.

"I can sense it," Adrien said.

_**Excellent. Enter it.**_

* * *

Kyle took a deep breath and relaxed as he tried to focus. The presence grew, and Kyle could now clearly feel emotions and thoughts. There was a great abundance of fear, but holding it back was defiance as well as a sense of justice. More than anything, however, was the desire to love and protect.

* * *

Adrien never used relaxation to concentrate. He allowed stress and anxiety to give him strength as he _pushed_ his consciousness into the newly discovered section of his mind. He could feel feelings coming from it. There was a sense of slight indifference and a need for battle. Yet the most noticeable trait was loyalty and the desire to have someone to be with.

* * *

Kyle gasped as the consciousness merged with his own. His thoughts became its thoughts, its thoughts became his. They were one and the same, connected by an unbreakable bond. Not just the bong of a trainer and its Pokemon, but the bond of partners.

* * *

Adrien exhaled as their two consciousnesses washed over each other. They were connected as one entity, one being, by a bond that could be severed by none, not even themselves. They were one fighter.

* * *

Kyle and Adrien's eyes snapped open.

* * *

_Well, how about that._

Leader had been watching Judgment close his eyes and breathe deeply for a good moment. Was it out of pity that he allowed his opponent to take a second? Or maybe it was respect? He didn't know. He didn't care. It was only interesting to him that Judgment's eyes had changed. He wasn't certain, as he was far away, but he was confident.

Judgment's left eye was emerald green.

* * *

_What is that?_

Dream Eater had been trying to get past Chu while Shadow Force had _closed his eyes_ of all things to do during a battle. Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to get past Chu's defenses. As he had seen an interesting spectacle, he had called Midnight back so he could focus on it. His eyes narrowed.

Shadow Force's right eye was ruby red.

* * *

Kyle opened his eyes to a different view than he had seen before. He still saw most of what he had seen before, but he was now lower to the ground. He looked down and felt dizzy at what he saw. He could see his own body, but now he could also see the front side of what looked like a light-blue dog. It was very disorienting.

_What is going on? _He wondered.

"_So, it seems you can make a half-bond already, though that is your limit," _Arceus said. "_Rather impressive. Many cannot achieve that feat so quickly, even with assistance."_

"What's happening?" Kyle asked. It felt strange to speak. It felt like only half of his mouth was moving.

"_That consciousness you felt was the anomaly's," _Arceus explained. "_You can now see through its eyes as well as your own. I can explain more to you later, but for now, you must continue to fight."_

Kyle found another set of thoughts that were not his passing through his head. They were kind and soothing, making Kyle relax.

_These are Eve's thoughts, _he realized. _I can hear them._

Kyle found that he could also move Eve's body independently of his own. No, he wasn't moving it. It was responding to his thoughts and the firing of his neurons as if they were its own. The delay of a verbal command was no longer present in this form. Still, it was as if he and Eve shared the same body, as well as the same mind. Not completely. But enough.

* * *

Adrien immediately noticed that he could now see through Chu's eyes with his right eye, though his left eye still saw things from his own point of view.

"What is this?" He asked.

_**A technique used by only the greatest of masters. It allows the consciousness of a human and a Pokemon to merge. It eliminates the need for verbal commands, among other things. It will be very useful to you.**_

Adrien tested the Renegade's words and found that Chu's body responded to his thoughts. Adrien could also tell what his Pokemon was thinking, now. It was energetic and ready to fight.

"Do I have to see out of only one eye?" Adrien asked. "It's a bit disorienting."

_**You will be unable to dodge attacks made towards you.**_

"Ah, right. Oh well. Let's try this out."

Adrien imagined a bolt of lightning emanating from Chu's body towards the Gengar standing before the two of them. Almost instantly, the conjured image became a reality as Chu used Thunderbolt. Midnight didn't expect it and was unable to dodge in time. It was struck in the side and took a few steps back, cringing.

Adrien chuckled. He could have some fun with this.

* * *

Kyle focused on the portion of his sight that was from Eve's perspective, concentrating on learning how to move around swiftly in this form. He practiced jumping from side to side for a moment before he decided he was ready enough.

Eve's hind legs glowed as Kyle prepared for his Pokemon to try using Double Kick. He tried to make Eve propel itself as it had done before, but he found it was not so easy. It was like this was a manual mode, and being out of this merge would be auto-pilot. It would take some getting used to.

When Eve fell over a second time, Leader seemed to decide that he was done waiting.

"Air Slash!" The head of Team Dominion called.

Silvally swiped with both of its claws once in rapid succession. As the blades of air traveled towards Eve, Kyle did his best to weave around them. Eve ducked underneath one and sidestepped past the other before charging ahead to Silvally. It bared its teeth as Kyle prepared Eve to use Bite.

Silvally saw the attack coming and switched its type, flashing black. Dark-type. A mistake.

_Switch!_

Eve glowed for a moment before returning to an Eevee, then glowed again and evolved itself into Leafeon. Silvally was confused slightly by the action, though didn't change its type again, as it must've seen that Eve's teeth were still bared in preparation for Bite. At least, that's how Kyle was making it seem.

Eve's hind legs glowed as it approached before it leaped the last few feet forward and used Double Kick. Silvally didn't have the time to change type and it took the full force of the attack. Fighting-type moves were super-effective against Dark-types.

Silvally wasn't trying to dodge. It was trying to predict the move Kyle would use next and adapt so it could sacrifice a small amount of health for an opportunity to cause a massive amount of damage to its opponent. Kyle would use that against it.

* * *

Chu leaped forward at Adrien's silent command, jumping in a quick zigzag motion in the hopes of disorienting Midnight. As it neared its enemy, Dream Eater called out his own command.

"Hypnosis when it gets close enough!" He called.

Adrien heard the command and Chu stopped on a dime, body beginning to discharge electricity. It then released a Thunderbolt towards Midnight, who was still preparing for Chu's approach. It managed to roll out of the way, however.

_**I will transfer an attack I know to your Pikachu to make the fight easier. Which move do you want me to replace?**_

Adrien didn't argue. "Replace Double Kick. What's the attack called?"

_**Iron Tail.**_

Chu's tail glowed silver. Adrien grinned. The glow dimmed. Adrien wanted to create an opening, first. Chu used Quick Attack, instead. But it wasn't targeting anything. It simply ran in a random pattern around Midnight, bouncing off walls and the ground, never touching concrete for more than a second. Midnight looked around, trying to keep its eyes on Chu's form, but the electric mouse was too fast. It threw a few Shadow Balls in a hopeless and failed attempt to hit it.

Chu suddenly changed the pattern and darted straight for Dream Eater. It canceled Quick Attack and instead began to prepare Iron Tail, aiming for the Team Dominion member's neck. Midnight chose that time to finally regain its sights on its enemy. As Chu was aloft in the air, it was exposed. Now that Quick Attack had been stopped, it was much slower, slow enough to be hit with one of Midnight's Shadow Balls. The ball of dark energy hit its mark, causing Chu to be thrown off course and into the wall, cracking it.

Adrien grimaced and Dream Eater back away to put more distance between himself and Chu. Adrien had been so close that time. He needed a way to get rid of Midnight. That seemed to be his only option. Chu removed itself from the cracked wall and assumed a four-legged battle stance.

_Not much else to do now, _Adrien thought.

Chu's tail glowed metallic once more. This time, however, it would be targeting Midnight. The Gengar's fists turned purple at its trainer's command; Poison Jab. The two Pokemon rushed towards each other and continued their fight. Midnight threw punches and jabs towards Chu, who blocked or parried them with its tail. Chu would sometimes try to slash with its tail, but Midnight would either catch the blow or smack it away. Neither Pokemon could gain the upper hand.

Adrien started having Chu throw in a few Thunderbolts between Iron Tail strikes. Midnight did the same, only with Shadow Ball. Both Adrien and Dream Eater still had to dodge whenever one of the Pokemon missed their target, which was incredibly often.

Soon, both Pokemon started to gradually take more hits. Midnight was the first to land a blow with Shadow Ball. The attack had struck Chu in the stomach, blowing it back into the wall again. This allowed Midnight to follow up as it landed the second blow of the encounter.

Chu landed some hits after that, as well. After Midnight had approached so closely to follow up its attack, Chu had used Thunderbolt as replaced the distance between them. After a few more exchanges of blows, Chu managed to slash one of the Gengar's legs with Iron Tail.

Finally, when it seemed the battle would progress no further, Chu jumped in the air while flipping forward to deal a powerful strike with Iron Tail. Unfortunately, it had been a foolish attempt. Midnight managed to catch Chu's tail in its glowing hands. It struggled to keep it there. While it fought, its eyes were only inches from Chu's. That was when Adrien realized his mistake.

"Hypnosis!" Dream Eater called.

Midnight's sinister eyes flashed, and Chu began to look drowsy. Adrien could the influence of the move on his Pokemon's mind. The connection was slipping and Adrien was becoming able to see less and less out of Chu's eyes. After a few more seconds, Chu had fallen limp to the ground, sound asleep.

Dream Eater grinned in triumph. "Finish it with Dream Eater."

* * *

Eve used Judgment as Leafeon, sending green beams of light towards its enemy. Silvally flashed red in response. Fire. Kyle couldn't do much about that, as neither Grass-type moves nor Ice-type moves had much of an effect. So his only option was to switch back to Eevee. As Eve did so, it used Judgment a second time. Silvally absorbed the blows from the first round of Judgment before noticing that the next set was a type it couldn't defend as well against. Kyle hoped that it would give up trying to change type and dodge since changing type would risk being more affected by the first round, as they were so close together.

He was right. Silvally dodged to the left without changing type. The beams struck the ground where it had been before, causing no harm to the synthetic Pokemon. But Eve was already sprinting across the ground, hind legs white. It bounced itself forward and up with Double Kick and unleashed a set of blows with its feet across Silvally's face.

_So it has to concentrate in order to change type, _Kyle noted, smiling. _I can't dodge and switch at the same time, nor can it use a move while it's switching._

Leader order Silvally to switch its type, but Kyle saw it coming. He canceled Eve's next set of kicks as Silvally flashed dark purple, switching to a ghost type. Leader realized his mistake too late. Eve bared its fangs and leaped forward, biting Silvally on its long neck. The synthetic Pokemon roared and whipped its head in all directions, trying to shake off its attacker. Eve remained strong, pressing down with its teeth.

Silvally switched to Fighting and tried to use Multi-Attack. Eve quickly evolved into Leafeon before Silvally finally managed to remove Eve's teeth from its neck by swatting at it with its front claws. The Leafeon tumbled along the ground and Silvally attempted a follow-up attack, body still covered in Fighting-type energy.

Eve rolled to its feet and jumped to the side at the last second, using Judgment as it did so. The beams of green light struck Silvally's side. The energy around it faded as it was knocked down.

Kyle saw Leader growl in frustration and smirked at the spectacle. Silvally tried using Air Slash but Eve dodged to the side while using Razor Leaf. The sharp green leaves flew at Silvally's body. The larger Pokemon dodged most of them, but a few hit their mark. Eve was already following up by approaching rapidly with Double Kick. Kyle had allowed Eve to make the individual motions itself, for now. Silvally tried to block with Iron Head. It ducked its head low and parried the first set of kicks. It tried to block the second set of kicks as well, but as Eve's feet struck Silvally's Iron Head, the metallic energy surrounding it shattered. Silvally's head was thrown backward by the impact. Eve flipped backward in the air.

As Eve landed, it and Kyle both saw a black Dominance ball streaking towards them.

* * *

Midnight opened its mouth as thin, silver whisps began to drift from every opening in Chu's head. The threads flew inside Midnight's grinning maw. Chu began to shake and thrash on the ground.

_**I cannot lose.**_

The wounds, marks, and burns Midnight had sustained from battle began to close and fade as it recovered health from Chu's own.

_**I will not lose.**_

Chu began to thrash less and less as its health was drained almost completely. Adrien could only stand there and watch in disbelief.

_**NOT NOW.**_

Adrien cried out in pain as he felt a sudden rush of energy flow from the consciousness of the Renegade into the consciousness of his Pokemon. There was so much...power. Violent energy that could level cities and kill people in an instant. It was even stronger than the power he had felt when he had been resurrected.

_**YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO IT. **_

A burst of the same power suddenly sprouted from Chu's body. The silver tendrils stopped flowing and Midnight took a cautious step back. The ground cracked. Shadows began to envelop the still-sleeping Pikachu, obscuring it from view. It seemed to be absorbing the light from around itself.

_**I CAN DESTROY YOU ALL IN AN INSTANT.**_

Dream Eater ordered Midnight to use Poison Jab on Chu. The Gengar complied, throwing its glowing fist at the cluster of darkness. Before the attack could land, however, what seemed like a tendril from the darkness whipped out and struck Midnight on the side, knocking it towards the wall.

No. It hadn't been a tendril. It was a tail. The shadows dissipated and Adrien drew his next breath sharply.

Chu was now a bit bigger and it was orange instead of yellow. Its tail was more like a whip and it had a thunderbolt-shaped tail end. Its ears, which were standing straight up, were larger and wider. Adrien would have thought it simply evolved into Raichu if there hadn't been a few things about it that were different than a normal Raichu. Instead of having yellow cheeks, ears, and tail, they were all blacker than a moonless night.

_**WE WILL FINISH YOU.**_

Adrien gasped again and felt his sight change as his consciousness merged with his Pokemon's once again. He was seeing out of Chu's eyes again, but now it was only Chu's perspective. He couldn't see out of his own eyes anymore.

As Adrien sensed Chu's thoughts and emotions, he felt a new knowledge that hadn't been there before. A new attack. Not Iron Tail.

_**SHADOW FORCE.**_

* * *

Kyle and Eve had taken their eyes of Leader as they had flipped backward. They hadn't spent enough time on the ground to secure proper footing for a dodge. Kyle's heart almost sunk. At first, he criticized himself for getting too lost in the battle. He had completely forgotten that Leader could throw the Dominance ball anytime he wanted.

But now wasn't the time. He had to act fast. He needed to keep the Dominance ball from touching Eve's fur. If he hadn't been merged with Eve's consciousness, he would have already lost.

Eve used Judgment, aiming for the Dominance ball. Green beams of brilliant light shot out and struck the capsule blasting it away just as it was a foot or two from Eve's face. Kyle sighed with relief.

Leader growled again, this time with even more anger. "Just take it down!" He yelled at Silvally.

Silvally roared and switched to Fire. It used Multi-Attack again, covering itself in flames. It charged toward Eve with the intent of trying to finish it off. Kyle could tell it wasn't going to switch again.

Eve devolved back into Eevee before using used Double Kick and sending itself straight upwards in the air. It then canceled the previous move and used the last move of the battle. Leader was finished.

_Judgment!_

* * *

Chu vanished instantly where it stood. Midnight looked on all sides, wary of a sudden attack. It had every right to be. Seconds later, Chu appeared from the shadows and struck Midnight with its tail, sending it straight into Dream Eater. The two of them were thrown across the hallway by the huge impact. They hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Dream Eater struggled to his feet a few moments later and wiped fresh blood from his face. His fear was clear to Adrien. He was sure his body's face was smiling.

_Thunderbolt._

Chu planted the end of its tail into the ground, causing the cement to fracture. Black volts of electricity ran across its body. The device on its wrist shattered and dropped to the ground. It wasn't needed. Chu then unleashed all of its stored power as a bolt of pitch-black lighting shot towards Midnight and Dream Eater.

* * *

Beams of white light rained from above Silvally, like judgment coming down from heaven. The cloak of fire around it was no protection against the light. It roared in one final act of defiance as the beams relentlessly struck its body. The beams ceased. Silvally dropped to the ground a moment later, defeated.

* * *

Dream Eater watched as the black bolt approached him.

_Well, I guess that's it, then, _he thought as the electricity enveloped his and Midnight's body. He smiled despite the pain and looked one last time at the boy and his Pokemon. The boy's eyes were now both glowing red, along with his new Raichu's as well. They were a magnificent sight together. Dream Eater was sure they'd go far.

_Thank you, _he thought as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Arceus watched as the two boys struck down their enemies with one final blow.

_They will be the greatest masters of their time. _

_And one day, they will have to kill each other._


	31. Battle Bond

**Battle Bond**

* * *

_It may not be now._

_It may take years for it to happen._

_But it is inevitable._

_Alpha and Renegade will fight once more._

* * *

_Shit!_

It had taken Bradley Pine much longer than he had anticipated reaching his destination. He had never been very competent when it came to location and travel. While he had expected the trip to take only thirty minutes, it was taking well over an hour. He was close, however.

He rode on the back of his Pokemon: a Salamence. He had named it Typhon after a draconic creature from Greek mythology. He hadn't raised it from hatching; he had been given the Pokemon while it was still a high-level Shelgon. He had developed a hobby of battling afterward and the Pokemon eventually evolved into what it was now. Once it had evolved, Bradley had immediately tried flying on its back. The experience was exhilarating, and he was sure he was one of the first to fly on a Pokemon. However, he usually refrained from it as though it was incredibly convenient, some people looked down on it. Bradley didn't know why. He figured they were jealous.

As the two of them neared the address that had been sent to Bradley, the professor pointed it out to his Pokemon. The blue Pokemon tucked its red wings close to its body and dove. Bradley held on tight to his Pokemon's neck as wind streaked past him, stretching his face out slightly. They plummeted from five stories high and Typhon leveled out when they were about six feet from the ground. The few people that they flew over yelped and ducked their heads before angrily shouting after them.

Salamence landed and jogged to a stop directly in front of the entrance to the building. With a quick thanks, Bradley hopped down from Typhon and returned it to its Poke ball. He then ran through the entrance of the building and looked around frantically. The structure was about two stories tall and mostly empty. It seemed to be completely abandoned; Bradley wondered if a criminal organization really operated here. At that thought, he began to worry. What if he had the wrong building? What if Kyle had sent the wrong address?

After searching the building and coming up with nothing, Bradley's fear increased. He realized his teeth were clenched and loosened them. By the time he was thinking about searching all nearby buildings, he found a small door that he had overlooked on the first floor. It was almost completely camouflaged with the red brick wall surrounding it. It must've been painted over for that very purpose.

Bradley tried the handle. It didn't budge. Locked. He took out his Poke ball and sent Typhon back out. The Dragon-type Pokemon was confused as to why it had been released so soon, but when Bradley pointed to the door, it understood. The top of its head glowed white as it used Headbutt on the metal door. It flew inward, blown off its hinges. It slammed into the wall on the opposite side and fell ten feet.

Bradley looked through the doorway and found a single flight of stairs leading down. He grinned, happy that he had found the stairs, but the smile didn't last as he realized what would've likely happened had he left without seeing the door. At that thought, he returned Typhon to its Poke ball once again - it was too wide to fit through the doorway - and literally jumped down each set of stairs. At the end of the flight, there was another door. This one was unlocked.

Bradley opened the door and found what seemed to be an entirely new building underneath the one he had just been in. It appeared to be made of hallways constructed from cement. He wasted no time and ran down each hallway. As he noticed doors on his sides, he searched each room for any signs of a person. He found none until a few minutes later. Six people in all black were clustered at the end of one hallway. A door was next to them. It appeared to be frozen shut. Next to each person was a Pokemon.

One of the Pokemon noticed Bradley running towards them and pointed him out to the others. Bradley stopped in his tracks as everyone turned to face him.

"Hey!" One said, pointing a finger. "Who are you? How did you find this place?"

Bradley didn't feel like wasting much time. "Team Dominion, I assume?" He asked, reaching into his pocket for Typhon's Poke ball.

"Eh?" Another said. "Well. I guess we've been found out." He grinned. "Take him down, fellas."

That was all the confirmation Bradley needed. He sent out Typhon and ordered it to attack.

The first member who had spoken laughed. "Don't you know?" He asked. "Dragon is weak against Ice." He pointed again. "Ice Beam!"

Bradley noticed all the other Pokemon were Ice-types as well. They were all using the same attack: Ice Beam. Sure, getting hit by six Ice Beams would definitely put Typhon out of commission. That is, if they managed to hit their target, which wasn't going to happen.

Typhon opened its maw and unleashed billowing flames. Flamethrower. The Ice Beams all fired around the same time, heading straight for the Salamence. However, they evaporated as soon as they touched Salamence's Flamethrower attack. The Ice Beams stopped, but Typhon's attack kept going as the flames wrapped themselves around the Ice Pokemon. The members adopted panicked looks.

"What?!" The first member exclaimed.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Bradley asked with a cold stare. "Ice is weak against Fire."

Typhon made short work of everyone else's Pokemon, as well as of the ice sealing the door. He couldn't do much to humans, so all he did was tell Typhon to Headbutt them to rattle their brains a little. They wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

Bradley opened the door to find another stairwell and searched each floor he came across. He found another group of five people on one of them, wielding Fire-type Pokemon. He dealt with them, as well, and continued on. He began to worry again until he reached the second-to-last floor. He heard the sounds of movement from behind a corner. He released Typhon and told it to be ready for a fight. The two rounded a corner.

Bradley stopped, mouth hanging open slightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about what he was seeing.

There were Pokemon _everywhere. _Walking here and there along the hallway, some communicating with each other, others resting. Some appeared to be greatly injured and were being treated by… other Pokemon. They had potions in their hands and were applying them to others. In all, there were at least thirty of them. Bradley had never seen anything like it before.

There were a total of fourteen humans in the hallway. Eleven of them appeared to be unconscious and tied up. One of them was going around helping the injured Pokemon with whatever they needed, as there didn't seem to be enough potions to go around for everyone. One of them was kneeling next to the last one. And the last one…

_My goodness._

The last human was in bad shape. He looked to be a boy no older than fifteen. His shirt had been removed, revealing a plethora of injuries. Cuts that must have been cleaned covered his face, arms, and torso. Where there were no cuts on his body, there were instead purple bruises the size of baseballs. He was laying down next to a wall while a woman in black treated his injuries, a first-aid kit at her side. Though the boy looked terrible, Bradley saw something else that made his heart warm. An Infernape sat with the boy's head in its lap. It stroked the boy's hair while he was being treated. It looked as if it had been crying, but it was spilling tears no longer. The flame on the top of its head was smaller than that of a normal Infernape; it burned calmly.

One of the Pokemon noticed Bradley and cried out. All the other Pokemon turned towards him, and Bradley could see fear and hate in their faces. The professor took an uneasy step backward.

The human roaming the area followed the noise and laid her eyes on Bradley. At first, her eyes narrowed, then they widened in delight.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. "Are you Professor Pine, by chance?"

Bradley nodded, and the girl smiled in apparent relief. The woman treating the boy glanced over, grunted, then returned to her work.

"Finally! I was beginning to worry." The girl calmed the Pokemon down and they returned to treating injuries or sleeping. They still eyed Bradley warily, however.

The girl approached Bradley and Typhon. A Dragonair slithered up beside her as she did so. She looked to be the same age as the other boy, with a pretty face and long, blonde hair. She seemed to have had a rough time, but not nearly as rough as the other one. Bruises and burns covered her exposed arms. One of her pant legs had been cut off at the knee. Around her shin was a thick bandage. A tiny amount of blood stained one side of it red. Despite all of this, she was smiling brightly.

"Tough day?" Bradley asked lightly to ease the mood.

The girl sighed. "You have no idea. We need to get Jordan to a hospital. Extrasensory thinks he has broken ribs, a broken arm, dislocated jaw maybe, broken leg..." She trailed off. "Anyway, are others on the way?"

Bradley nodded. "I'm sure they'll get here soon." There were a few other things he wanted to address. He gestured to the Pokemon in the area. "How did you do all of this?"

The girl looked around, confused. "All of what?" She asked, turning back to him.

Bradley repeated his earlier gesture, this time with more flare. "Are all of these Pokemon registered to one of your trainer IDs?"

The girl looked around again. By her new expression, Bradley could tell she understood where he was coming from, now.

"Oh," she said. "Jordan deregistered all of them from their Poke balls. So I guess they're all wild."

Bradley's jaw hung open. All of these Pokemon were collaborating together, and they were _wild? _It was impossible. They should have been trying to fight or escape, as wild Pokemon tend to do. They shouldn't even be responding to orders made by humans they weren't registered to.

"How?" He asked. "How can you get them to act like this when they're wild? Do you know how hard it was for the upper guys in the CPP to get them under control? This is insane! Nobody's been able to achieve something like this!"

The girl raised her eyebrows. "Really?" Then she shrugged. "It wasn't really me, anyway. You'll have to talk to Jordan when he wakes up."

Bradley's eyes fell on the unconscious boy. How could someone so young place all of these wild Pokemon under his control?

There was something else Bradley wanted to ask. He pointed at the woman treating the boy's wounds. "Who's that?" He asked.

The girl followed his finger to the woman with the first-aid kit. "Oh," she said. "She hasn't told me her real name, but she's called Extrasensory."

"She's wearing all black."

"She's not a member of Team Dominion if that's what you're wondering." She paused. "Well, she was. But not anymore. So that's that."

"There will still be charges-"

"Actually, I misspoke. As far as we're concerned, she's just a passerby who heard noise and came down to help with her Noctowl. She just happened to be wearing the same colors at the time."

Bradley opened his mouth to refute before seeing the girls determined face. He sighed, closed his mouth, and smiled.

"Very well," he said. The girl smiled back warmly. Bradley looked up and around. "Anyway," he asked, changing the subject. "Where's Kyle?"

* * *

Eve landed gracefully on its feet as Silvally fell. The Eevee was battered and bruised, but it had come out on top. Kyle hesitantly severed the connection between his and his Pokemon's consciousness as he observed the now-quiet battlefield.

Leader was furious. He looked like he wanted to scream at Silvally for losing. Somehow, he managed to restrain himself. He looked down at the ground, fists clenched.

"We had a deal, Leader," Kyle reminded him, hoping he would honor his word.

"_You have lost,"_ Arceus said for both of the humans to hear. "_You have no more reason to be here. Leave."_

After a moment, Leader's hands relaxed and his expression softened. He looked up at Kyle. His face was calm, but his eyes shot daggers that could pierce the hardest diamonds. Kyle clenched his teeth.

Leader then began to chuckle. "I did lose, didn't I?" he asked." He laughed some more, then sighed. "And we had a deal. You know, I never expected you would have any chance at winning."

Kyle didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"I mean, you had help," Leader said, waving a hand towards Arceus's body.

"_I did not do much," _Arceus countered. "_The outcome of the battle was a result of the boy's pure ability and bond with his Pokemon. All I did was construct a harness."_

"Uh-huh," Leader said. He didn't sound convinced, but it didn't seem to matter. He took out a Dominance ball and returned Silvally. "Well, there's not much I can do, now. My Gardevoir's not really a fighter."

"_So, you will be leaving?" _Arceus asked.

Leader hesitated, and for a moment Kyle thought he was going to go against his honor and try to fight again. But his worries did not become reality. Leader nodded.

"_Very well."_

Light began to swirl from the ground, wrapping itself around Leader's legs, then his torso and arms. The boss of Team Dominion was slightly startled, at first, but he slowly calmed down as he came to the conclusion that the light wasn't dangerous. As his neck and head were being enveloped, he caught Kyle's attention.

"Judgment."

Kyle raised his eyebrows.

"You're a pretty strong fighter. You and that Eevee of yours. You've been gifted the power of the most powerful being man has come across so far. Don't waste it."

Coming from Leader, Kyle thought he meant something like asserting dominance over the world. He decided to take it as becoming a strong opponent. He nodded in acknowledgment. Leader grinned back as his head was covered. Then he was gone. The light faded and left empty space where Leader had once been. The discarded Dominance balls on the ground disappeared as well.

"What'd you do?" Kyle asked.

"_I sent him back to your world," _Arceus responded.

Kyle huffed. "You couldn't do that before?"

"_It takes a significant amount of power to transport someone away when they do not wish to leave," _Arceus explained. "_It takes next to no effort when their will is not fighting against mine."_

"Ah," Kyle said. "So if I really wanted to stay, you wouldn't be able to make me leave?"

"_I could," _Arceus said as his body began to walk towards Kyle, "_but I would prefer not to waste so much energy."_

As Arceus approached Kyle and stopped next to him, it looked down. Kyle followed its gaze and saw the Earth again as if they were on the moon. Eve walked towards the two of them and looked down as well. As it did so, the harness of white light dissipated into the surrounding air. The two evolution stones dropped to the ground. Kyle bent over to pick them up.

"Can you see everyone?" Kyle asked as he straightened back up, placing the stones in his pocket.

"_Yes. Help has arrived for your friends. Leader is sitting on his couch, waiting for someone to come arrest him."_

"Are they okay?"

"_They will be. One of your friends, in particular, the one you call Jordan, has suffered quite a bit. But he will recover."_

Kyle nodded. "That's good."

Arceus glanced towards Kyle. "_In time," _it said, "_You will be able to view the world as I do, as well."_

"Yeah, about that," Kyle began, "Why did you choose me to receive all this power?"

"_I did not. I chose your Eevee at random and your Eevee chose you."_

"So then why do I have this power?"

"_There is an ancient phenomenon that comes with the existence of any Pokemon. None of the humans of your world have noticed it yet, therefore it does not have an official name for you, but those who came before you called it the Battle Bond."_

"Battle Bond," Kyle echoed.

Arceus nodded. "_It is the connection a trainer forms with their Pokemon through experience. As the bond grows, the trainer can sense its Pokemon's consciousness, as the Pokemon can sense the trainer's. Moreover, the two identities can begin to merge. Personality traits and emotions will be shared."_

"I don't feel any different…"

"_Yet you are. Tell me, would you have gone this far to take down a criminal organization such as Team Dominion a few months ago?"_

Kyle paused. As he thought about his unconcerned attitude during other world events besides the ones that directly affected his life, he realized that he had changed. Carol had noticed it before, too, while they were in the park.

"I felt like I had to invoke judgment," He said. "I'd never felt that way before."

"_When I created an anomaly out of your Eevee, I gave it my traits. Since it is still incredibly young, there wasn't much there in the first place. So you could say your Eevee is a near-perfect reflection of me. Therefore, your newly adopted traits are my own."_

It was a lot for Kyle to process. He had been given new personality traits that he now shared with a higher being? He didn't know if he should feel robbed, morphed, or content.

"This happens to everyone who owns a Pokemon?" He asked.

"_It depends on the strength of the bond. The deeper the bond, the more effectively and rapidly the merge takes place. But yes, this will happen to almost all trainers eventually. It may take some longer than others, however._

"So that's all it really does? It just merges personality traits?"

_Arceus shook its head. "That is not even the half of it. In addition to the merging of personality traits, Battle Bond increases the overall power of a Pokemon. I believe you would say that their statistics increase. Sometimes, the Battle Bond can spark, feeding the Pokemon ludicrous amounts of power. Occasionally, if intense enough, this power can even allow a Pokemon to evolve prematurely."_

"That should be impossible, shouldn't it?" Kyle asked.

"_Not for one who is in deep understanding with their partner." _

Kyle pondered Arceus's words. A Pokemon that could evolve before the rest of its species did? He wondered if there was anyone who had experienced something like that so far.

"_The Pokemon also can become more perceptive of the trainer's tendencies in combat and can act on its own at times."_

Kyle remembered how Eve had been responding to his thoughts without him having to voice them. He nodded as Arceus went on:

"_Those who have the Battle Bond can experience the sensations their partner feels. This includes mostly emotion, but it is not limited to just that. Pain is a large one, though you will not feel that until you have established a greater bond. Status Conditions, as you call them, are one of the first things a trainer will experience when their Battle Bond grows powerful enough."_

_So, I'll eventually feel the pain of each hit Eve takes? _Kyle thought. As he looked at the Eevee, who was still gazing at their world through the ground of Arceus's domain, he expected to feel a twinge of fear at the thought. A few months ago, he would've dreaded having to feel pain with each hit his own Pokemon took. But now, he didn't feel any worry at the thought. In fact, he felt glad that his Pokemon would be able to share its pain with him. It was only right, after all.

"So the strength of Battle Bond matters in a battle just as much as experience?" Kyle asked.

"_Even more so," _Arceus said. "_If the strength of Battle Bond is powerful enough compared to your component, experience will not matter at all."_

"But wait," Kyle said, suddenly remembering something. "A Pokemon and a trainer work better together if they have a stronger bond, right? As in they'll easily be able to understand one another throughout a battle?"

"_Correct."_

Kyle thought back to the first day of school since Pokemon were introduced to the world. Adrien had been in his gym class before he had received his Pichu. He had borrowed a Pokemon from the school's stash of Starlys and other common and low-level Pokemon. He had used it so efficiently, beating even those who had higher level Pokemon than he. The only one he couldn't beat was Jordan and Fireball, who were likely the strongest pair there. But he hadn't had much time at all…

"Doesn't it take time for Battle Bond to develop?" Kyle asked.

Arceus made a sound that sounded like chuckling. "_Not necessarily. This amuses me, coming from you. After all, do you remember how quickly the anomaly attached itself to you?"_

Kyle nodded, remembering Eve's desire to be his Pokemon. It was a rather fond memory of his.

"_There are some humans who are drastically superior in developing a Battle Bond. I do not know what causes this, as I have found no correlations. It is not due to Pokemon, either, as they all have the same capacity for bonding. _

"_These humans can spend only a little time with their Pokemon and already be able to understand it. Some of them cannot even but help to bond to a wild or unregister Pokemon as soon as they meet on the same side of the battlefield. These people were called by others as Champions."_

"So then, I'm a Champion?"

Arceus nodded. "_Indeed. You and your other friends are what I believe to be a few of the strongest Champions I've ever come across. Especially that other boy you call Adrien. I do not believe there is another Champion with ability such as his, though you come close."_

Kyle remembered how Carol told him a Dratini approached her from the waters of the beach. Normal wild Pokemon wouldn't just take a bite of food and assert themselves as a Pokemon belonging to a trainer. She was definitely a Champion. But what about Jordan? There wasn't anything Kyle could think of that marked him as a Champion. Maybe there was something he didn't know. He'd have to ask later.

And Adrien. The strongest Arceus had ever known? Kyle suddenly didn't feel as discouraged about losing to him time after time. It definitely explained how he had been so competent on that day in using a Pokemon he'd never known before.

"One more question about Battle Bond," Kyle said. Arceus turned towards him as Kyle finished. "You called what I did a Half-Bond?"

Arceus nodded in understanding. "_Yes. That type of bonding is one of the final stages in Battle Bond. When you can feel the consciousness of your Pokemon, it is called being in the state of Understanding. A trainer can push past this and develop a Half-Bond, in which you become slightly more aware of your Pokemon. The next step, which you have not reached, is called a Full-Bond. In this state, the senses on your own body become numb and all you can feel are the sensations your Pokemon is experiencing."_

"So how long will it be before I can perform a Full-Bond?" Kyle asked.

"_I do not know. It took many years for even the trainers with the greatest talent in Battle Bond to manage it. It will not be anytime soon."_

"Oh," Kyle said, slightly disappointed. A few years? That was a long time to wait for something new. "Is that it? For Battle Bond, I mean. Is there anything else about it I should know?"

"_Well, there is one technique that I am sure exists, but no one has managed it in their lifetime. If we talk again, which I am sure we will someday, I may tell you about it. However, I believe it is time for you to go home. Your companions are waiting." _Arceus began to take a few steps away from Kyle.

Kyle nodded, then paused. "Why do you keep talking like that?"

Arceus turned and stared. "_What do you mean?"_

"You keep implying that there were other people who once had Pokemon, though this should be the first time they've been introduced in this world," Kyle said. "There's no record of any Pokemon in the past." He paused, unsure if he or Arceus wanted him to continue. "Do other worlds exist?"

Arceus was silent for a moment. He then walked back towards Kyle and looked him in the eye. Kyle wanted to back away from the gaze of its green eyes that shone like emeralds. However, he stood his ground and did not waver.

"_Yes, you are not the first of your kind," _Arceus explained. "_There were others I gave my children to, once. They gave them the same name you did, as a matter of fact. Pokemon."_

Kyle felt his head become lighter at the thought of the existence of another world. So, the humans of Earth were not alone in the universe, after all. He felt a sudden desire to know more about them.

"Where are they now?" Kyle asked eagerly. "Could we see them through…" he gestured to the floor in questioning, where his own world could be seen.

Arceus was silent for a moment. It was no longer looking at Kyle. It seemed to be staring off into space. Kyle could feel its possible emotions from his environment. There was an abundance of sorrow and guilt, along with anger. But there seemed to be a fair amount of emptiness, as well.

"_It is no longer here," _Arceus said slowly. "_It is gone."_

Kyle wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't want to make the higher being delve deeper into the negative emotions.

_But what could've happened? _Kyle wondered. _It said that that world was gone. Was it destroyed? Abandoned? _He then remembered something else. _It said it wanted to conserve energy. Why? What does it need it for?_

Arceus regained itself and straightened. "_That's enough. Time to leave." _Its voice wasn't stern, but it was assertive. Kyle decided it would be best to agree, though he still had many questions.

Eve sensed the approaching time for departure and looked up from the ground. It then leaped towards Kyle's chest. The trainer caught it in his arms and smiled. His Pokemon smiled back warmly. It was then that Kyle noticed something had changed about his Pokemon his smile faded into a straight line.

"Hey," he said. "Its eyes are green."

Arceus glanced over. Indeed, Eve's eyes had once been dark brown like wet mud, but now they were bright green. Like emeralds. Like Arceus's own eyes.

"_A product of the transfer of power, I assume," _it said. "_Your own eyes will change to that color, depending on your level of bond you are in at the time."_

Kyle placed a hand over his left eye. He had felt it grow warm during the final part of his battle with Leader. Had it changed color then?

Kyle's thoughts were interrupted as light began to swirl from the floor around his ankles. He and Eve were being transported back to Earth. He stood still and watched Arceus as the whiteness ascended his body. When it had reached the middle of his torso, Arceus spoke one last time.

"_One last thing: keep a watchful eye on your friend Adrien," _it advised.

"Adrien?" Kyle asked curiously. "What for?"

But the Alpha didn't answer.

* * *

Leader sat on his creased, brown leather couch. He sighed as he realized he would exceptionally miss sitting there. It was one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture he had ever owned. Not to mention, it made him feel high and mighty whenever he sat on it while his grunts were in the room.

He rolled Silvally's Dominance ball in his right hand. He knew that the CPP was likely going to confiscate the synthetic Pokemon, meaning it would be the last time they were close to each other. Though Leader was still upset that it had lost the battle against Judgment and his Eevee, he was still sad at the thought of watching it go. Not to mention it was almost certain that it would be experimented on again.

At that moment, Leader almost jumped up from the couch to sprint to the back of the room with computers and exercise equipment. There was a door leading to a back room, where his sleeping area was located. In that room, there was another door that led to the surface. He could escape.

But Leader only sighed again and remained where he was, slumping over his knees. He would keep his honor, even if it meant he would suffer tremendously unfavorable consequences.

A beam of white light suddenly pierced through the top of the underground room. It was just about as thick as a column Leader had seen pictures of in ancient Greek architecture. As the light reached the ground, it remained for only a second more before retreating back through the ceiling, leaving no mark of its existence.

Where the light had touched the ground, it had left behind a boy and his Pokemon. They were both facing Leader with serious expressions. They were tense.

"What?" Leader asked impatiently. "I'm not going to try and fight you again."

"I'm just surprised you didn't run," Judgment clarified.

There was the sound of metal striking metal as the door to the room they were in began to open. Judgment turned. Leader raised his eyebrows. Was Luke here, now? Was he done with whoever he'd been fighting? Leader felt a spark of hope. Maybe his brother could get Silvally to a safe place! Leader couldn't help but smile as the door swung wide.

But it wasn't Dream Eater. Another child pushed the metal door open, revealing his black jacket and jeans. Leader's eyes widened as he saw that nearly his entire right side was red, including his face. It appeared to be dry, but there was no mistaking where the change in color had come from. Blood.

Leader shot upward. He pointed at the newcomer. "Who's blood is that?" He demanded to know.

Shadow Force tilted his head and squinted his eyes in confusion. Then realization came to life in his expression. "Oh. This?" He held out his right arm and looked it over. "I got a few cuts from your friend and I was hit in the head by a falling rock."

"Woah," Judgment said, taking a step forward. "Are you okay?"

Shadow Force nodded and waved a hand unconcernedly. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

"So then where is the one you fought?" Leader asked.

"Oh, you mean the one who called himself Dream Eater?" Adrien asked. "He ran. I beat his Gengar in a battle, and he took off faster than the devil. I lost him pretty quickly."

_So he escaped, _Leader thought. _That's good, at least. But how could he have lost to another mere boy? Who _are _these kids? How could I not see how strong they were before?_

As Shadow Force walked farther into the room, another figure came in after it on four feet. It hopped behind the boy and stopped, raising itself to two feet. Its tail swung from side to side behind it. It was a Raichu. But it looked...odd. Leader had never seen a Raichu with black features instead of yellow ones. It was orange like a normal one, at least. But its eyes were a deep, discomforting red.

The Eevee in Judgment's arms suddenly jumped down to the ground and took a single step towards the Raichu trainer. The two Pokemon stared each other down while their trainers watched.

"Chu evolved," Judgment observed. "And its eyes are red. That's not normal, is it?"

Shadow Force gestured to Judgment's Eevee. "Eve's eyes are green now. I don't think that's normal, either."

The two trainers stared at each other for a moment. Leader could only see the back of Judgment's head, but Shadow Force wore a cold and calm expression. The air in the room seemed to grow incredibly dense. A spark of hostility seemed to emit from the two trainers in an instant, meeting in the center of the space which separated them. Leader braced himself, suddenly afraid. He did not know what he was expecting.

Then Shadow Force suddenly smiled. Leader still couldn't see Judgment's expression, but he heard the boy begin to chuckle.

"So you took a few hits, eh?" Judgment asked playfully. "That guy gave you a bit of a challenge, hmmm?"

Shadow Force laughed in response. "Oh, come on. Give me a break." He apparently had finally noticed Judgment's lack of injury. He gestured towards him with both hands. "Okay, I don't believe that you managed to avoid every attack he threw at you. What, did the two of you wimp out or something?"

Judgment scowled lightly. "It was a battle of honor, I tell you."

The two laughed and bantered some more. Leader realized he was still holding his breath and exhaled. The atmosphere returned to normal. The sense of hostility was gone. Yet Leader was still afraid.

_Who are they?_

* * *

"I have a _lot _of stuff you can probably use," Kyle said.

"Oh, really?" Professor Pine said. "I'd love to hear it."

The two stood in the same room Kyle had reunited with Adrien. Kyle hadn't remained there the entire time. After the two had found each other and talked for a while, Pine had come down with Carol, looking for them. Carol had beamed in delight when she saw the two of them. She rushed over to hug Kyle, then was going to do the same for Adrien before she noticed the dried blood on his right side. Adrien chuckled and kept his distance, claiming it would be best if she didn't touch him. They had all later insisted that Adrien go upstairs to talk to someone named Extrasensory about his injuries. Carol led him up, leaving Kyle, Pine, and Leader alone in the room.

After introducing themselves in person for the first time, they talked about their experiences. Kyle told him the story of how he had found his way to the hideout and how he confronted Leader, leaving out the part with Arceus. However, Kyle had planned on telling him what he had learned later.

Kyle was surprised to find that Pine was much more of an informal person in the flesh than he was online. The professor claimed he was required to act that way with everyone he sent emails to, and he rather despised it. Leader remained silent this whole time, unmoving.

As the two were still talking, police and more professors from the CPP with Pokemon arrived. Five of them came into the room. Two of them walked over to Leader and placed him in handcuffs. The other three began to search the room. As Leader was walking out, Kyle caught his eye.

"Just give me a moment," Kyle said to Pine. "I'll tell you then."

He thought about everything Leader had done up until this point. He had stolen, hurt, and likely killed to get to this point. Kyle hated him for that. But Kyle thought about Silvally. That evolution had not been one out of experience. Leader had forged a Battle Bond with Silvally. Kyle was sure of it.

The Eevee trainer smiled at his enemy. Leader frowned in response. Kyle assumed that he likely thought he was smiling in victory. That's what he wanted the people holding him by his arms to think. He waited, still smiling. When he was sure that Leader was the only one looking at his face, he winked. Leader's frown deepened slightly, but this time it was in confusion. Then Leader's eyes widened slightly in fear. Kyle knew why. He remained smiling and - still making sure no one was watching - put a subtle finger to his lips and nodded slightly.

Leader's reaction was almost immediate. Frowning expression faded and turned into a look of dumbfoundedness. His eyes then shone with gratitude as he was pulled out of Kyle's view. He watched as the door shut behind the former leader of Team Dominion.

Pine turned back to Kyle. The boy quickly put his hand down from his mouth and assumed a blank expression. Pine raised his eyebrows. Kyle thought at first that it was because the professor had seen his motion, but he realized soon after that thought that Pine was still expecting him to speak up.

Kyle held up another finger, this time telling Pine to wait only a second longer. He walked over to Leader's couch as Pine's brow furrowed in confusion. Kyle stepped up to the piece of leather furniture, turned a hundred and eighty degrees, and sat.

"Hey!" Someone said.

Kyle turned his head to the side towards the voice. It was coming from one of the officers who was busy searching one side of the room: where Leader kept his computers. He was pointing his index finger at Kyle angrily.

"Stand up!" He said. "We don't want anything touched around here. I can't have you sitting down."

Kyle put on his best innocent smile as he stood. "Sorry," he said, putting his hands up. "He just sat in it so much, I had to know how comfy it was, you know?"

The officer shooed him away from the couch. Kyle complied, walking back to where Pine stood.

"What'd you do that for?" The professor asked.

"This." Kyle held out his hand. In his palm was a locked Dominance ball. There was no doubt in Kyle's mind that Silvally was being contained inside of it. Kyle had kept a close eye on Leader and had seen him drop it between the cushions. Perhaps it had been a last, desperate attempt to save his Pokemon. It might have been foolish, but it would end up working in his favor. Kyle's wink had been an indication to Leader that he had seen him store the capsule. However, it had also been a reassurance.

Pine blinked at the sight of the device. After a moment, he looked towards one of the officers and opened his mouth.

"Wait!" Kyle hissed. "Don't!"

Pine's eyes flicked towards Kyle's own. His mouth hung open, frozen in place for the moment.

"I need you to keep it safe," Kyle whispered, looking around to see if any of the officers had noticed what he had taken from the couch.

"Safe?" Pine whispered back. "Then give it to the authorities!"

"I can't trust them," Kyle said. Pine raised an eyebrow at that, making Kyle sigh. "Leader said some things about the CPP while we were fighting. They might not be true, but I can't be sure. This Pokemon's had it rough. I'd like to give it to someone I know won't treat it badly."

Pine was silent for a moment as he stared at the Dominance ball in Kyle's had while the boy tried to conceal it from everyone else in the room. Kyle tried one more tactic.

"If you do me this favor, I'll tell you what I know."

Pine scoffed at that. Kyle would never have been sure about asking this favor of Pine before he had met the professor in person. He had seemed like one who respected the law and custom. However, now that he knew his real personality, Kyle had a strong feeling Pine was one who could be trusted with this task.

Finally, Pine spoke: "Your friend told me something similar on the way down here," he said. "Something about the CPP not being as great as it's made out to be. I've thought about it a little and decided that if she's right, it might be time for a change." He took the Dominance ball from Kyle's hand and tucked it into one of his coat pockets.

Kyle smiled and withdrew his hand. "Thanks."

Pine nodded. "I'll do what I can. If I find evidence that these claims you two have presented to me are true, you can bet I'll be the first to do something about it. Now, I believe you said something about learning new ideas?"

Kyle laughed. "I'll give you a full report later when I have time to gather my ideas."

Pine sighed. "Figures. I should've asked for my prize before accepting the favor." He smiled and looked around. "Anyway, you're going to be pretty famous, huh? The press will love you."

Kyle grimaced. "Yeah, about that…"

* * *

Kyle and his friends spent the next several days in the city while everything calmed down. He and Carol had both been questioned and scolded extensively by the police and the CPP about the events that had occurred in Team Dominion's hideout and their actions. Adrien had been questioned and scolded later when the doctors had decided that he was fine after a long while of trying to find where the blood had come from. They had strangely found no cuts or wounds where the blood might've come from. Jordan hadn't been questioned, as he had been sent to a hospital to receive treatment.

Professor Pine had assumed responsibility for managing the Pokemon that had been freed by Jordan as well as the Pokemon that had been owned by the Team Dominion members. He had strongly insisted, and the other professors of the CPP at the scene had obliged since Pine had been the first to respond to Carol's distress email. Pine kept to his word and didn't include Silvally in the official list of the confiscated Pokemon.

Every member of Team Dominion inside of the underground building was arrested. The only one missing was Luke Johnson, also known as Dream Eater among those of the criminal organization. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere. The officers never found him.

The exact cause of the apparent death of one of the Team Dominion grunts wasn't found. Every grunt who owned an Electric-type Pokemon was interrogated, though they claimed to know nothing about the death. Adrien was questioned as well, as he owned a Raichu and also happened to be the last person to see Dream Eater. After a while, thankfully, he was deemed not a prime suspect and was left alone.

Lisa Cottonwood, or Extrasensory, had also been questioned along with the children. Unfortunately, there was no escaping the punishment of being a part of Team Dominion. She would be tried in a few weeks. Luckily, Pine had suggested that she could serve as his assistant rather than serve time in jail after hearing about her technological and chemical achievements. It would allow the two of them to gain more authority in the CPP and maybe start to make a difference. The woman seemed to grow much more respect for Pine after she heard the idea.

Kyle's mother and sister both quit work to drive to his location, along with the parents of his other friends. Adrien's mother cried and hugged her son while his father kept a solemn expression, but joined in the hug as well. It seemed to make Adrien uncomfortable. Carol's parents had similar reactions, though her brother seemed to be in awe of her feats while eagerly asking about the experience. Jordan's parents had gone straight to the hospital; Kyle didn't see them.

Kyle's own family hugged him and Chelsey began to scold him as the police did for his actions. His mother simply smiled and embraced the Eevee trainer. It didn't seem like she was angry like Kyle had thought to expect. In fact, she seemed rather proud as she spoke in her usual soothing voice.

The press was all over the event, especially since not one, but two more Arceus had appeared in the exact spot where Team Dominion's hideout was located. Each person who had been in the hideout at the time was asked about it, but everyone, including Kyle and Leader, said they had no idea it had even occurred in the first place.

By Kyle's request that had been relayed through Pine, Kyle and his friends were not mentioned in the story told by reporters. However, there was the mention of four heroes wielding their Pokemon who had almost single-handedly taken down Team Dominion on behalf of the CPP. Kyle had not requested the latter part. When he had questioned Pine about it, the professor simply shrugged while grinning foolishly.

The four heroes had been called the "Justice Champions." Kyle decided it could have been worse.

* * *

They all came home a few days later, though Jordan still was required to stay in the hospital for a little while longer.

Adrien walked into his room and tossed his backpack onto his bedspread. Chu entered the room a moment later, the Raichu running around and jumping on top of the same bed, next to the backpack. The trainer sat down with a sigh, making the bed shake slightly. Chu nestled up next to its trainer, making him smile. But the expression didn't last long. Adrien reached into his backpack and pulled out the thunder stone he had bought. He had meant to use it on Chu, but it seemed like the Pokemon would no longer be needing it. He had decided to give it to Kyle later, saying he had found it somewhere else to avoid questions. The Eevee trainer had told Adrien about Eve's newly discovered "switching" ability. The two of them might find the evolution stone of use to them.

Adrien put the thunder stone away and took out the plastic bag with the white marble inside of it. He had never fed it to Chu, yet its power had seemed to increase anyway. Adrien wasn't sure how he knew, but it seemed that the excess power had faded and it was back to the way had been before. It seemed to be no coincidence the voice of the Renegade had gone silent at the same time. He put the marble back in the bag. He would put it in a safe place for some other time. It would be unwise to simply throw it away.

Adrien realized his hand was shaking. He grabbed it with his other hand in order to make it stop, though the attempt was in vain. He shifted in his jacket to try to make himself feel more at ease, but this didn't do anything, either.

Dream Eater hadn't escaped. He hadn't even left the hallway in which they had finished their battle. He had been vaporized. Reduced to nothing. Gone. Chu's massive black Thunderbolt had ensured that. Midnight had also not survived.

Adrien also assumed that Chu had been the one who had killed the other Team Dominion member near the machine that had produced Dominance balls. He had suspected it as soon as he had seen the body, but now he was positive. He had so many questions. How was it possible? How could a Pokemon _kill_ a human without any assistance from technology? The Renegade, disappointingly, was no longer there to provide him with answers.

And what was this feeling? Adrien knew he should feel horrible, and he did. However, there was no missing the fact that his sympathy seemed to be decaying by the minute. A few days ago, he had been devastated to the point where he could barely hide his emotions. Now, he was doing it with much greater ease. His guilt was fading rapidly. Could this be what the Renegade meant when it said his personality would change? Was he turning into a heartless bastard?

"Come on," Adrien said frustratingly. "Give me something."

There was no response.

* * *

Kyle finally went back to school as Jordan was released from the hospital. The Infernape trainer had been given a wheelchair, an arm cast, and a neck brace. Kyle looked for him in the halls but wouldn't see him or any of his other friends until lunch.

Everyone was talking about the Justice Champions. Kyle strained not to smile whenever he heard mention of the name or anything involving Team Dominion. It was similar to when everyone had been talking about his and Jordan's battle, except _everyone _was talking about it and none of them knew it was actually him. It was perfect.

By the time lunch came, Kyle's self-confidence was at an all-time high. He sat in the normal room with Carol opposite of him, eating her tuna fish sandwich. Adrien joined them later and sat with them in silence. Nobody spoke a word.

After a few more minutes, Jordan came wheeling in. Kyle had seen how terrible he had looked when he had been placed in the back of an ambulance and he was pleased to see that his friend was doing much better. Jordan rolled over to where his friends were eating lunch.

"Hey," the injured boy said. Everyone else gave their own greetings before continuing to eat. Kyle realized that this was the first time all four of them were eating lunch together. Jordan usually neglected to join them.

Kyle and Jordan suddenly made eye contact. Kyle could see the pain in his friend's eyes. It seemed to flood his brain, giving him an overload of negative sensations. But behind the pain was also a whelming feeling of excitement that filled his irises.

Jordan began to chuckle. Kyle followed along as he laughed as well. Soon enough, the two of them were howling in their seats. Carol began to chuckle along with them. Adrien seemed to allow himself a small smile.

* * *

**End of Part Two**


	32. Reawakening

**Reawakening**

* * *

_I have watched my Champions grow over the past few years._

_They have each become remarkably stronger._

_The Renegade's power has been dormant all this time._

_But today, I felt a pulsing…_

* * *

_Close Combat!_

Fireball reared its head and let out a deafening bellow that could no doubt be heard throughout the entire building as its fists glowed white with power. Half of the surrounding crowd covered their ears and cringed at the noise, while the other half shouted gleefully with it. The eager Infernape lunged forward towards its victim: a poised Blaziken, belonging to a young man in his twenties with large spectacles and an aggressive battling style.

"Blaze Kick!" Jordan's opponent ordered.

The Blaziken crouched as its right leg was coated in bright orange flames. It leaped into the air a moment later, spinning skillfully as it prepared to bring it's heel down on Fireball. Flaming kick met powerful fist, and a shockwave exploded outwards from the impact. It seemed that the ground would crack beneath Fireball's feet.

Blaziken flew backward, flipping and landing lightly on its feet. But Fireball was not finished. It growled and followed its opponent's retreat, staying low to the ground.

"Again!" The trainer with spectacles said.

Blaziken's leg once again went up in flames. It swung a kick forward towards Fireball's head, but the Infernape impressively ducked even lower, evading the attack. It then struck Blaziken's only supporting leg, causing it to lose its footing and fall. What followed was what could only be described as a massive beatdown as Fireball climbed on top of Blaziken and unleashed a flurry of blows. Within a matter of moments, the match was over. As soon as Blaziken's HP dropped to zero, Fireball withdrew, its glowing fists beginning to dull.

"Winner!" The referee called. She extended a rigid arm towards Jordan's side. "Jordan Mallack and his Infernape!"

A roar of approval came from the crowd. Jordan smirked as Fireball let out a cry of victory. His opponent sighed and returned his Blaziken to its Poke ball. He received a few condolences for his loss, but most of everyone rushed towards the victor.

"You're so strong!"

"He didn't even say any commands!"

"How long did it take to train your Infernape?"

"Do you think you could battle me sometime?"

Jordan smiled at all of them politely. He turned when he felt a light punch on his arm and saw a familiar face. His smile widened into a grin and he put his arm around her.

"You lost," Hannah teased lightly. "You said you would beat him in five minutes. It took seven."

Jordan sighed. "His Blaziken was actually a little stronger than I gave him credit for. I also didn't expect him to use an X attack at the start of the match."

People were still talking loudly around them. Hannah led him away, saying that Jordan needed a break and was done battling for now. He called his Pokemon, and it happily bounded over. It greeted Hannah warmly, snuggling beside her and making her laugh.

Jordan's hand was still tingling from the shockwave-inducing punch. Hannah eyed him as he shook it out.

"Yeah, that looked like it hurt," she remarked.

Jordan nodded. "Kyle really wasn't joking about the whole Battle Bond thing."

They were inside a rather large building. It had once been an old warehouse, but the CPP, specifically Professor Pine, had bought it and turned it into one of the first "Pokemon Centers." Here, trainers could gather together to battle, trade, or play with their Pokemon. They even offered free healing here. The main floor was covered in different sections where different battles took place.

"Hey!" A voice called out to them. Another familiar friend: Carol. She brightly jogged over, Scarf hovering behind its trainer. It had finally evolved into a Dragonite a little while ago, and since then, quite frankly, she had been kicking everyone's ass. She, along with Jordan and their other friends, was somewhat of a celebrity in the Pokemon Center. However, despite her Pokemon's raw power, she still hadn't managed to take down Adrien and Chu. Those tryhards _still _hadn't lost to anyone yet.

Jordan and Hannah said their greetings as Carol came up to them. "Jordan just won another battle," Hannah said. "I was thinking of maybe taking him to get something to eat. Do you want to come along? Kyle and Adrien can join us, too."

"Actually," Carol said, "I was going to ask you where they were. I haven't seen them in a while."

Jordan and Hannah exchanged glances. Hannah then held out a hand and pointed a finger straight down. Carol immediately caught her meaning. A small tremor suddenly passed through the ground, and suspicions were confirmed.

"Of course," she said. "I should've known."

* * *

"You're going down this time, I swear," Kyle shouted.

Adrien shook his head. "We've kept our winning streak for more than two years. We're not about to drop it today."

Eve, in Jolteon form, darted around the demolished, colossal battlefield. Chu fired off another devastating black Thunderbolt, sending dirt and rock everywhere from where it struck. It failed to hit Eve, however, and the evolution Pokemon continued advancing towards its target. Chu used Dig and burrowed itself underground, but Eve was using the same move a moment later. The fight disappeared from view, but both trainers could still receive information from their connection to their Pokemon.

Bright streaks of magenta light burst from the ground, and a quarter of the battlefield exploded as the two Pokemon emerged. Eve had switched to Espeon at Kyle's command, then used Judgment while still underground. Still, it hadn't seemed to do much damage.

Kyle blinked once, then realized that Chu had disappeared. He cursed wildly. Adrien was using that move again. How Chu had learned it - hell, how Chu had somehow become a _ghost _type in addition to being an electric type - was beyond Kyle. It was an occurrence just as strange as Eve learning Judgment.

Kyle didn't even need to tell Eve what to do. Through their bond, Eve sensed Kyle's distress and switched back to a normal Eevee. Chu materialized a moment later, its body covered in a ghostly aura, it passed through its opponent harmlessly. That was the Shadow Force's weakness. It was extremely powerful, but it wouldn't work against normal types.

Adrien grinned as Eve reverted to its natural form. Kyle tilted his head, then saw a sphere of energy forming at the tip of the Raichu's tail.

_Oh, crap. _

Chu sent its Aura Sphere hurtling towards the normal-type Eve. This was something else that ticked Kyle off. Not only had Chu learned _one_ move it shouldn't be able to learn, but it had learned _another_ one. Eve hadn't learned anything out of the ordinary other than judgment.

As a fighting type move, it would deal double damage to an Eevee. He could easily use Dig to dodge it, but he had a feeling that Adrien would anticipate that. After all, he had clearly guessed that Kyle would switch Eve back to a normal-type in response to seeing Shadow Force's preparation. So he did something different.

Eve switched to Slyveon and brushed the undereffective attack aside, charging forward.

_Iron Tail!_

Eve's tail flashed metallic as it swiftly spun towards Chu, who used Iron Tail as well. The two clashed tails as two warriors would clash swords, evenly matched in their skill. Eventually, they broke away. Chu's body began to crackle with black electricity. Eve backed off as well and slowly began to charge up a powerful burst of Fairy-type judgment. The trainers were about to unleash their moves when a voice called out over the battle.

"Are you guys crazy? You'll collapse the ceiling!"

The two Pokemon stopped as their trainers turned towards Carol. Jordan and Hannah were close behind them at the foot of the stairs leading up to the main area of the Pokemon Center. They were in a room as grand as the one above, underneath the building. Pine had given them special access to it whenever they wanted a good place to battle amongst themselves or any other special challengers they came across, which was very often.

Carol's eyes irritably swept the room. "Where's the supervisor?"

Kyle sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "We… uh… convinced him to leave for lunch."

Carol stared at the destroyed battlefield and shook her head sighing. "Come on," she said. "We're going to get something to eat."

Kyle and Adrien exchanged glances. "We're kinda in the middle of something…"

Carol's eyes flashed. Kyle felt silent and called Eve to his side. Chu hopped over to Adrien as the dark-clothed boy joined them.

"You guys need to learn that you need to keep a hold on your Pokemon's power," Carol said. "Remember what Lisa said? Pokemon are supposed to become catastrophically powerful at higher levels. You could definitely cause some major collateral damage during battles like yours."

"Sorry," Kyle said honestly. "We just needed a good fight."

Adrien nodded in agreement. "It's rather hard to come by a good challenge these days, especially now that most trainers use low-level Pokemon."

This was true. The CPP had just sent out a wave of Pokemon to the fifth generation of Pokemon trainers. Pokemon were seen practically everywhere, now, but this meant that Pokemon high in level were rarer.

"At least have the supervisor watch next time," Carol said.

Kyle caught Jordan's eye as his friend was hiding a laugh. Kyle discreetly scowled at him. Jordan had grown even taller over the years, passing six feet a few months ago. His blonde hair was cut short and splayed itself messily over his head.

Everyone had changed a little in appearance since the "Justice Champions" had made their move against Team Dominion, taking it down for good. Kyle had finally decided to fix up his own hair, cutting it short and sticking it up in the front. He had also grown a little taller as well, and had taken a page from Jordan's book and started working out, giving him a fair muscle tone, much to Carol's apparent approval.

Carol had grown to be an even prettier girl, if that had even been possible. Her bright blonde hair flowed past her shoulder blades, but not much else had changed physically about her. As time had passed, she had become much more focused on responsibility and school, working hard to get her grades to the best they could be. She was hoping to find a job with the CPP someday; an ambition well within her reach.

Adrien had changed the least. Even in the boiling pre-summer weather, where everyone else was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, he refused to betray his classic, signature attire of black jeans and a black jacket. He was also the only one whose hair had gotten noticeably longer; it was a complete mess that practically shrouded his blue eyes. He hadn't grown any taller at all, but he didn't seem to mind.

At Arceus's advice, Kyle had kept a close eye on Adrien since the day Team Dominion fell. Though the god hadn't given him any reason as to why he should do so, Kyle had a gnawing suspicion that it had something to do with Chu's strange appearance and moves. The two of them had reported Chu's strange evolution and moveset to the CPP, but nobody, not even Professor Cottonwood, had found anything that might suggest an explanation for the strange phenomenon. Adrien had claimed to have no hunches, either. He was usually good like that.

Kyle also didn't know if Arceus wanted Adrien to be observed closely because he was interesting, because he was in danger, or because he was a threat. Kyle remembered that moment in the park all too well: when Adrien and Chu had both gone berserk and tried to attack Petal Dance. But then again, that had been years ago, and nothing of the sort had happened since that one time. Maybe Arceus had just been paranoid.

Kyle didn't believe that, of course. But he wanted to. So he tried his best to make it seem like he did.

As they emerged from the underground room into the main section of the Pokemon Center, all heads turned towards them. Trainers surrounded them instantly, some asking for tips, others asking for a battle. The five of them politely declined their attempts at conversation and battle and moved on outside.

Jordan put his hands behind his head. "Man, imagine how much more popular we would be if they knew we were the Justice Champions."

Kyle scoffed. "Exactly why I kept out identities hidden in the first place."

Hannah shook her head. "I still can't believe you guys did all that by yourselves."

Jordan chuckled. "It wasn't easy, and it wasn't pleasant, either."

They all remembered Jordan in a wheelchair, then on stilts after that. He had dodged questions about it at school, but once he had eventually met Hannah and they started dating, she was filled in on what had happened. At first, she hadn't believed them one bit. But as they further explained their story, it grew more and more apparent to her that they were telling the truth. Since then, she had hung out with the rest of them, fitting in rather nicely with their group.

After leaving the Pokemon Center, they went to eat lunch, then discussed what would happen for the rest of the day as they waited to pay for the bill.

"Back to the Pokemon Center?" Kyle asked.

Hannah shook her head. "Jordan and I are having dinner with our parents later. They want us home early so we can be prepared."

Carol turned to Kyle. "We had something planned, too, remember?" She asked.

Kyle shrugged. "There's still time before then."

Carol rolled her eyes but smiled playfully afterward. "I guess there is."

The two of them had finally started dating. A little more than a full year after the Team Dominion incident, during their junior year, Kyle had decided he was ready, and after being encouraged by Adrien and radically pressured by Jordan and Hannah, Kyle had asked Carol about it. She had eagerly said yes, and they'd been in a happy relationship since.

Kyle's eyes were drawn towards Adrien, who was sitting on the opposite side of the table they were at. He was quietly drinking his water and didn't seem to be bothered in any way. Kyle thought it might be hard for him, being the only one of them who wasn't in a relationship. Especially when they were in relationships with each other. _Especially_ when the girl that Adrien had admitted to having feelings towards, Carol, was one of his closest friends and also in a relationship with another one of his closest friends. Kyle certainly would not have handled it as well as Adrien looked to be. The guy was tougher than a Steelix.

Then again, Kyle had never really heard the guy so much as talk about girls. Jordan had said that Adrien had, in fact, wanted a relationship in the past, but lately he seemed to be indifferent. Adrien had actually become indifferent towards a lot of topics and ideas lately. It worried a few of them.

They all noticed the dark spots gradually spreading beneath his eyes and the winces every now and then that he tried to hide. When asked about, he would simply brush it off and smile. Adrien was never one to share what he was feeling at any given time, but something was clearly getting to him, even if he refused to show it.

When the bill was paid, they each went their separate ways: Jordan and Hannah went to their homes, Kyle and Carol went back to the Pokemon Center, and Adrien went back home. Kyle walked beside Carol, he glanced behind at Adrien, who had his back turned and was walking away. Kyle felt a weight in his stomach.

_Keep an eye on him…_

* * *

Adrien shut the door to his room and placed Chu's Poke ball on his nightstand as the Raichu eagerly hopped up on the bed. Adrien smiled and patted its head, then placed a quivering hand over his heart.

It had been dormant for some time. It hadn't appeared since that day in the Team Dominion facility when they had fought - killed - Dream Eater and his Gengar. He had searched the web for strange occurrences like the creature that had called itself the Renegade happening to others. In his research, he had found nothing promising. But, he had found a word, and had started calling the Renegade that name instead.

Giratina.

He had begun to think it was long gone, the only remnants of its existence being Chu's darker appearance and ruby-red eyes.

But Adrien felt it stir today.

It hadn't said anything, only shifted. As if it had just awoken from a long and much-needed slumber.

And it was hungry.

* * *

Carol sat on her towel next to Kyle, watching the sun begin its descent towards the ocean water. Eve was curled up between them; the harness that was usually secured on its small body had been removed to make it comfortable. Scarf sat at her other side, sharing her enjoyment in watching the sunset.

After spending some more time at the Pokemon Center and winning a few more battles, the two of them had driven themselves to the beach for a quick rest. They would be going to get dinner in a little while.

Carol was glad Kyle had finally worked up the courage to ask her out. She had been ready to do it herself, as a matter of fact, if he had waited just a bit longer. He looked even more handsome now, with his fixed-up hair and new muscles. She rested her head on his shoulder and could heard his pulse.

"Is it good to see Chelsey again?" She asked. "She hasn't visited from college in a while."

Kyle smiled fondly. "Yeah. We had a battle the other day out in the woods, actually." He chuckled. "Her Snorlax took down more than a couple of trees by accident."

Carol laughed, then stopped ad a concerning thought hit her. "Please tell me she isn't working again."

Kyle shook his head. "With the money we've been getting from the CPP, she doesn't have to anymore."

Carol sighed in relief. "Good. She's done more than enough."

"She says it's weird to not have a place to be all the time."

Carol laughed again. "Yeah, I bet."

Kyle's mother had been fortunate as well. After everything that had happened with Team Dominion and Kyle gaining a closer connection with the CPP, she was able to quit many of the billion jobs she had. Kyle was even happier about it than she was.

Kyle leaned his head back. "We'll be in college too, next year."

Carol groaned. "Don't remind me." Time was moving way too fast. She could hardly believe how far they'd come. There was only a month left until school ended for the year. The two of them had both been immediately accepted to a private university run by the CPP, where they would study Pokemon. Jordan wanted to join the military, Hannah wanted to be a nurse, and Adrien still wasn't sure what he wanted to do. It didn't help that every college out there was begging for him to join.

Carol felt a buzz in her pocket. As she reached into it for her phone, she noticed that Kyle was also taking out his. They had both received a message from Professor Pine.

"Woah, look at that!"

A new Pokemon species had hatched from an egg today. A Rookidee, it was being called. It was a small, blue bird with a bright yellow beak. It looked similar to a Pidgey or Taillow.

"So, Arceus's power still lingers?" Carol asked.

"I guess so," Kyle said. "I mean, this proves it."

While some things touched by Arceus years ago had changed instantly, some things took a much longer period of time to develop into Pokemon. New species were constantly being discovered. It was possible that they could keep appearing until the end of time.

Kyle's eyes widened at something else that had been sent with the picture and information of the new Rookidee. Carol turned back to her phone and exhibited a similar response to what she saw.

"What?" She exclaimed. "They're getting married?"

Sure enough, there was a picture of Lisa Cottonwood, formerly known as Extrasensory, with a ring on her finger that Bradley Pine himself had slid on. They were both smiling gleefully, and Carol felt happier than anything for them.

After Kyle, Carol, and Cottonwood had expressed their concerns about the potential of the corrupt among the CPP, Pine had enlisted Cottonwood's help in exposing the CPP's dark side. What they found were plans to create artificial Pokemon that could be used against humans and given to the military. This information, along with evidence of an actual synthetic Pokemon named Silvally, was considered unethical and caused the removal of all those involved, which included every high seat in the organization. The CPP was almost abolished entirely, but Pine stepped in again. He then became the head professor, and appointed Cottonwood as his second.

Since then, the two of them had been doing outstanding work together. X-attacks and the like, ethers, and other innovations had come about due to them. They had been the ones to come up with the idea of the Pokemon Center, and had given Kyle and his friends VIP access to the one in their town. They also paid a handsome wage to Kyle for supplying them with the information he had received from Arceus, especially the phenomenon known as the Battle Bond. They had even made the harness stocked with evolution stones that Eve wore now, fashioned after the harness than Kyle had described Arceus made him.

After a few months of working side-by-side, Professor Pine and Professor Cottonwood had started dating, and now they were engaged.

Carol's heart began to pound at the thought of Kyle proposing to her someday. She took a deep breath and relaxed herself. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about something like that. There was more time to pass before then. Still, she couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Kyle noticed her expression and smiled as well. "What?" He asked.

Carol laughed lightly and kissed him. "Nothing. I'm just happy." She went back to leaning on his shoulder and watching the sunset. "Hey," she said, suddenly remembering. "The qualifiers are next week."

A tournament hosted by the CPP had been announced; the first ever nationwide Pokemon contest. Area qualifiers were being held at the Pokemon Center the following week.

Kyle grinned. "Yeah," he said. "There are six winner's slots, and I already know who will be in them."

Carol pondered. The two of them, along with Jordan and Adrien, were obvious. Hannah had expressed interest in joining as well; her Blissey might not look like much, but it could be a force to be reckoned with. That was five.

"Who's the sixth?" Carol wondered aloud.

"I'd have thought you knew" Kyle said, "with how excited he is."

"Ah," Carol said, suddenly realizing. "My brother." She smiled again. "He's certainly pumped for it."

"He's not the only one."

"You know, you really might have a good chance at winning the whole thing," Carol said. "Your only major problem would be…"

"Adrien," Kyle finished.

"Right."

He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I'll finally beat him." He patted Eve's head. "Right, Eve?"

The Eevee opened its eyelids, revealing its beautifully unnatural emerald-green eyes. It smiled and snuggled closer to its trainer, making Kyle and Carol both smile even wider.

* * *

Arceus fondly watched the two humans and their Pokemon from above. He had always enjoyed the strange phenomenon known among humans as love. Similar in a way to the Battle Bond, it was. A joy to watch unfold, as well.

The Alpha was interrupted from its enjoyable thoughts as it felt a chilling sensation from behind. Its normally white domain now had a significant blotch of black in one area. Arceus turned. It had waited for this moment for an eternity. It had wondered how it might feel when it finally came. It had thought it would at least be prepared.

It was not. The only description for the feeling bubbling inside it now was fear.

_Hello, Renegade._


	33. Eradication

**Eradication**

* * *

The blotch of complete darkness spread like a raging infection throughout Arceus's domain of power. The Alpha's lingering life force was the only thing that stopped it from consuming the entire area. The black abyss pulsed venomously, causing Arceus's fear to spike with it.

Out from the dark, a large stump foot with golden claws emerged, followed by a gigantic body on six identical legs. On its back were two spectral, ghostly black wings, and a thick black tail was dragged in the creature's wake. It raised its head and locked eyes with the Alpha; beyond the gold plating covering its skull were glowing eyes of a red.

Arceus planted its feet, waiting for it to attack. This was the Renegade, and it was unlikely it would take the time to exchange any sort of pleasantries. However, the god was surprised that the enemy did, in fact, _not _charge forward straightaway.

"_**Alpha."**_ The voice boomed with controlling willpower, enough to drive any other being under a rock.

"_Your form is different," _Arceus noted, tilting its head. Before, the Renegade's body had been long and slender, like a snake or eel, without any legs. The six tendrils that had waved around its body had been replaced by the wings. It was quite peculiar.

"_**I believe this is my vessel's doing,"**_ the Renegade said.

"_The boy called Adrien," _Arceus said. "_The bond accomplishes strange feats."_

"_**It has given me a name. Giratina."**_

"_Have you become attached to your vessel?" _Arceus wondered. "_I would not expect the god of violence and destruction to accept a name so easily from one of the same species it carelessly obliterated so long ago."_

A fierce, deep hum erupted from Giratina; it was growling.

"_**Do not be so quick to assume. I have not become attached. I only thought I need would need a name for the humans to plead to after I destroy you."**_

"_You claim so," _Arceus said. "_Yet the changes are clear. Your form, along with your personality and mannerisms, are different. The bond is merging your personalities. You are becoming more human even as we speak."_

The darkness surrounding Giratina throbbed in anger. Black electricity crackled around the Renegade's wings before two lightning bolts were hurled towards the Alpha. Arceus hopped aside, easily evading the reckless attack. Where the Thunderbolts hit the ground, stains of an identical color were left behind. They did not fade.

"_You see?" _Arceus said, tapping the small blotches with a foot. It pulled away as the darkness stung its essence. "_As I recall, electric moves were not common from you. Like it or not, that boy and his Pokemon are influencing you."_

Another growl. "_**I will consume it soon enough," **_Giratina assured. "_**As soon as our bond reaches its optimal point, I will seize control of the human, and it will be my puppet for all eternity. My source of limitless power. I will be unstoppable after that."**_

"_I could not help but wonder," _Arceus said. "_Did you choose him because of his ability to easily form a bond, or for his capacity to develop a nearly unbreakable bond?"_

Giratina actually tilted his head in confusion. Adrien's traits were definitely there. "_**What do you mean? I chose him because he rises above the others in terms of power."**_

"_There are plenty of Champions who have shown a similar strength in their world. You could have chosen one of them, instead." _Arceus intensified its gaze. "_But if you tried, you could not. That is because quite simply put, you are incapable of achieving a strong Battle Bond. Adrien, as a Champion who bonds quite easily to any disloyal Pokemon he comes across, was your only possible candidate for a vessel."_

"_**Your point?"**_

"_You will never achieve the power you seek, _Giratina_." _

The black disease pulsed again. "_**It does not matter, as long as I can achieve enough strength to defeat **_**you!" **It punctuated its sentence by releasing a blast of pure energy from its body. A sphere of power shot towards Arceus with incredible speed. The orb, too fast to dodge, connected, knocking the Alpha backward. Its body skidded painfully along the ground before it came to a stop. It slowly righted itself.

"_That may be true," _it said as it gained its footing. "_But will you be strong enough to defeat _them?"

An eerie sound echoed everywhere as Giratina laughed. "**Your** _**vessel? Standing against **_**my **_**power? Ridiculous. They will fall before me like all the rest."**_

"_We will see." _Arceus changed its plates, becoming an ice-type. As it did so, the surrounding stark white domain shifted, adopting a slight light-blue tint in addition to its original pigment. Beams of icy-blue light were sent forward towards the Alpha's overpowering foe, who moved much more swiftly than one would think, given the shape of its body.

But Arceus was fast too, despite its nearly exhausted power. It darted towards Giratina, switching to a dark plate. It didn't give him any more advantage than his ice plate, but the switch might keep the Renegade on edge, which would be important if it wanted to keep it stalled for longer. It used Judgment again as its force darkened, it didn't dull nearly enough to match the color of Giratina's power.

Giratina strained under Arceus attack and let out a deep roar. An intense Dragon pulse was let loose. Arceus switched to a fairy plate, and the shockwaves passed harmlessly over its body as its gray domain turned pink.

Giratina's eyes flashed with victory. It glided over to its opponent, its infection flowing behind it like its own shadow. Its tail began to glow with a silver sheen. It swung around, striking one of Arceus's legs with Iron Tail.

The super-effective move rocked Arceus to its core. It collapsed on top of its severely injured leg as Giratina continued to circle the Alpha. The Renegade attacked again with the same move. Arceus frantically switched to a steel plate, bashing the Iron Tail aside as it jumped to its feet.

Giratina put some distance between the two gods. Arceus examined its leg. It was withering, the essence fading underneath Giratina's overwhelming strength. Arceus focused its power and used Recover. The leg of its projected body fought off the infection and relieved the pain. Still, it didn't buy itself much more time.

There wasn't a singular plate that could protect Arceus from all of Giratina's moves. Sure, it might be able to find one that none of the Renegade's moves would be super-effective against, but would it be safer to use that plate?

No. It would have to take a gamble. It needed to buy as much time as possible.

The two rushed towards each other once more, and the battle continued.

Their conflict lasted days. Maybe longer. Without being able to look at the world of humans, Arceus found it was difficult to recognize the passing of time. The time he spent fighting Giratina could only be described as hell as the Alpha barely held its own against its terrible foe.

The two colors, one darker than night, the other everchanging to adapt, danced in a spectacular fashion, colliding and repelling one another. Eventually, however, the violent dark began to wear down the lighter colors.

Arceus was approaching its limit. It sent another round of light beams towards the Renegade.

The god vanished as Judgment passed through the space it had just occupied. Arceus retreated, searching everywhere for where the Renegade would appear. It switched to a normal plate. Shadow Force would have no effect, now, but it was possible Giratina was planning something else. Arceus stayed alert.

Arceus sensed it before it materialized. Giratina's violent power was easily detectable. Arceus turned towards it and prepared to counter. But nothing was there, and the trace had disappeared. Then the Alpha detected it again and wheeled around once more. Again, it turned towards empty space.

Arceus was then met with an onslaught of sensations. It turned every which way, trying to decide where Giratina's attack would come from. The Renegade was constantly reappearing and disappearing immediately after. Soon, Arceus was completely unable to tell where Giratina was.

Giratina reappeared for the final time and struck and sent an Aura Sphere towards the back of Arceus's head. It had no time to switch plates. The super-effective attack hit it's target and threw it backward again. Once it came to a stop again, lying on its side, Arceus found it didn't have the strength to stand back up.

It tried to use Recover and found it was out of power. That was part of Giratina's nature. It drained its opponents of their strength while they fought, making them exert themselves far faster than normal. Arceus tried to use other moves to keep the Renegade at bay, and, sure enough, found it lacked the strength to do that, too. The Alpha was finished. Its last remnants of vigor had dwindled away at last.

Giratina let its guard down and approached slowly with its menacing shadow trailing behind. It stopped beside its rival and stared down. Its eyes were amused and triumphant. Its wings became covered in black sparks as it charged up a final Thunderbolt.

Most of Arceus's power had been invested in its vessel. It hoped they would become strong enough to face the foe that was now on its way. The Alpha had done all it could for them. Defeating the Renegade was their task, now.

Giratina let its Thunderbolt loose. The black disease spread over the rest of the domain, and soon, all was dark.

* * *

Kyle's vision was clouded for a moment. He placed a hand near his face as his legs lost their strength, and he toppled over. Carol was there immediately, catching him during his fall. She grunted as she tried to keep him upright. When it seemed she was about to lose her grasp, Scarf was next to him, too, and the partners managed to keep their friend upright.

The Eevee trainer's head was void, as if everything had been drained from his skull. He'd experienced a migraine or two in the past, but nothing like this before. His breathing rate sharply rose, and he lost sense of his body, unable;e to move a single limb.

"Hey, Kyle?" Carol asked. "Kyle!" She looked up and shouted to her friends. "Guys!"

They were hanging out in the basement of the Pokemon Center, training for the qualifiers coming up. Jordan and Fireball had been battling Hannah and her Blissey, Iris. Adrien was relaxing nearby on a bench, closing his eyes as if asleep, his Raichu curled up under his arm.

The Pokemon Center supervisor, who had been overseeing the match, turned his head first. His eyes widened at the sight of Kyle's sudden condition, and he signaled to the two participants that the battle was over. Jordan and Hannah paused, confused until they saw why their match had been ended prematurely. The three humans and their Pokemon rushed over. Neither Adrien nor Chu moved an inch. Maybe they really _were_ asleep.

Kyle saw all of this through a haze. He was laid down on the ground, but he found he couldn't feel the concrete beneath his head. His eyes sluggishly moved between the faces of those standing above him.

"Hang on!" Hannah said, turning to her Pokemon. "Iris!"

The Blissey closed its eyes and seemed to focus for a moment. A warm, pinkish light pulsed from its body and washed over Kyle. At first, it's pleasant touch relieved some of the discomfort, and Kyle's sight became better. But it was only temporary, and Kyle slipped back into his dark state.

"It's not working!" Hannah cried. "What about Eve? Where's the little guy?"

"Here! Here!" Carol said. She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh god, what's happening!"

Kyle gave a faint wheeze and let his head fall to the side to catch a glimpse of his partner. Their bond would certainly mean it was experiencing something similar. Sure enough, the Eevee had fallen as well and was shivering erratically.

Iris tried to use Heal Pulse again, this time on Eve, but only achieved similar results.

"We need to get them to a hospital or something," Hannah said. "Quickly, too. I don't like the look of this."

Jordan, who had been watching helplessly this whole time, ran over to wake Adrien.

"Come on, man!" Jordan said, shaking him roughly. "We have to go! Something's wrong with Kyle!"

The slumbering boy didn't wake. Jordan froze for a second, then tried again. Still nothing. He then tried lightly smacking him across the face. But Adrien stayed asleep.

"Jordan!" Carol exclaimed when she heard him hit Adrien.

"Something's not right with Adrien, either!" Jordan said. "He's not waking up!"

The supervisor joined him and grimaced. "Let's take both of them. Come on."

"I'll call an ambulance," Hannah said, pulling out her phone.

Kyle began to slip into unconsciousness. His last view before going under was Carol's deeply concerned face hovering over his own.

* * *

Kyle woke up in a bed. Before his eyes were open, he groped to his side and found an empty space. Usually, Eve slept next to him through the night, but his Pokemon was absent from its normal position.

He sat bolt upright, not even acknowledging his surroundings. His eyes snapped open. "Eve?"

A soft voice chuckled. "Your Pokemon is fine. Sleeping soundly in another part of the building. Though, if you're awake, I suppose it's awake now, too."

Kyle blinked. He noticed for the first time he was in a hospital bed. He turned towards the familiar voice. His vision came into focus, and he saw the kind face of his mother, Emily Parker.

"Mom?" Kyle asked. She smiled warmly. "What happened?"

"Hard to say," she said, sighing. "The doctors couldn't decide for sure. It was the same for Adrien, but his case was far less serious than yours. He's already been let go."

"Adrien was brought here, too?"

Emily nodded. "Him and his Raichu. They woke up in only a day and were completely fine. The doctors are still baffled. I overheard a few say they would've thought he was simply faking the whole thing."

Kyle eyed the empty chairs next to his bed.

"Your friends and your sister wanted to stay," Emily said, reading his mind. "But I eventually convinced them to focus on other things. Carol was especially hard to deal with. Didn't leave your side for at least an hour after she was allowed to visit." She whistled. "Seriously, Kyle, I'm happy you've found such a kindhearted girl for yourself."

Kyle felt his face grow warm, and his mother laughed.

"So what now?" Kyle asked, switching the subject.

"Well, now-"

She was interrupted by frantic shouts coming from the hallway. Kyle felt something tick in his head. He could sense Eve's consciousness.

"Stop that Eevee!" Someone shouted from beyond the closed door to his room.

Understanding washed over Kyle's mother's face. She sighed and smiled slyly before standing and walking casually to the door, opening it. She barely managed to make it wide enough as a small, brown blur burst inside and leaped into the air, landing on Kyle's bed. The trainer chuckled as his Pokemon cuddled close. Kyle sensed concern from his partner's thoughts and pulsed back his thoughts of reassurance. He felt the tension drain from Eve's muscles as it became relieved.

Emily sat back down as two doctors reached the door, out of breath and panting. They stared at Kyle. Eve tried its best to look innocent. Kyle and his mother both grinned.

He was released in a short while. As soon as he let his friends know, they wanted to come to see him, but Kyle said he was still feeling a bit tired and wanted an hour or so to rest just a bit longer. This was a lie, of course, and he felt bad about it, but he needed to think.

His mother drove them home, grabbing something to eat on the way. Hospital food was downright awful. Once home, he immediately went up to his room with Eve.

What had happened to them? It hadn't been natural, that was for sure, especially since something similar had happened to Adrien at the exact same time. Come to think of it, Kyle had been feeling a little sickly ever since that time on the beach with Carol. Adrien had seemed a bit more off than usual, too. Had they both caught something?

Eve didn't think so. Kyle listened as his Pokemon relayed its thoughts to him. They had done this before a couple of times. Usually, they could only convey emotions and sensations, but they had previously become better at having actual intelligent conversations.

Eve wasn't certain that there was a connection between his and Adrien's sudden condition, but it acknowledged that it was a good possibility, though it had no idea why that may be. It also wasn't focusing so much on what had happened, but how it felt now. It felt like it had been stripped of something. There was a bridge that had been broken, or maybe the land on the other side had been completely destroyed. Yes, that was it.

They knew how it felt, but they didn't understand why. Kyle and his partner were at a loss.

_Oh, well. I can worry about it later. I have to stay focused on the tournament._


	34. Qualification

**Qualification**

* * *

The doors slid open to allow entry into the interior of the Pokemon Center to Kyle once again. It was a reveal that Kyle never grew tired of; his heart always began to accelerate in anticipation. Today, it pounded even harder and faster than usual. Today, his battles meant more than usual.

The place was packed with trainers from around town. Most were around his age, with only a few in their twenties and some in their lower teens. He knew a lot of them as regulars in the Pokemon Center. He had even battled some of them. Some he knew from school, and there were a few trainers here and there he had never seen before. This excited him even more. New trainers meant new Pokemon, and new Pokemon meant a new battle experience. He could hardly wait.

"Excuse me!" A voice called over the noise of talking in the building. "Could you come check in, please?"

Kyle turned to see a young woman at a table, a laptop beside her. He walked over and recognized her as he drew closer. She was an employee that he saw a lot around here. She regarded him through her glasses, and her eyes lit up a little as she seemed to recognize him as well.

"Ah," she said, grinning. "Your friends have already checked in. You're the last one of them to arrive." She faced her laptop and tapped a few keys. "Alright, you're checked in. Kyle Parker, your trainer number is 1." She chuckled as she handed him a tag with his number on it. "They even reserved numbers for you guys. That's funny." Her eyes met his. "That's all. I'd wish you luck, but I doubt you'll need it."

Kyle smiled and nodded as he went out to look for his friends. It took a few minutes, but through texts and after mistaking a few people for them, he found where his friends were clustered together by the surrounding crowd. He shuffled his way over, apologizing as he bumped into a few others and almost stepped on some of their Pokemon, and greeted them all. There was Carol, her brother Noah, Adrien, Jordan, and Hannah. None of their Pokemon were out; they were trying to conserve space.

"Hey!" Carol said with a smile. "Feeling any better?"

It had been almost a week since he, Adrien, and their Pokemon had all mysteriously fainted. Carol asked this at least once daily to Kyle, and occasionally to Adrien, as he had been less affected. Kyle wasn't annoyed by her constant concern, in fact, he was touched and was appreciative of her all the more for it. To be truthful, he was still bothered by the emptiness both he and Eve felt up to this point. He talked about it with Carol, and she was just as clueless as to what it all might mean, though she suggested talking to Adrien.

"Yeah," Kyle lied, putting on a reassuring face. He didn't want to trouble her or anyone else on a day like this.

Everyone else said there heys and hellos. Kyle eyed Adrien, who was looking around at everyone else and their Pokemon, likely sizing them up. He had asked about the similar experience Adrien had gone through, but his friend hadn't mentioned any lasting effects similar to Kyle's, which only left him with more questions.

Kyle was pulled from his thoughts as Hannah asked out loud, "I wonder how they're going to run this."

"Yeah," Jordan said. "Do you think they'll arrange a bracket of one-on-ones? That seems like it could take a while, with all these people…"

Kyle shrugged. "What if it's a free-for-all, and the last few standing get to move on?" He didn't think that was it at all, but it was fun to suggest ideas.

Adrien turned his head slightly towards their conversation, and Jordan's and Noah's eyes gleamed.

"Yeah!" Noah exclaimed. "That'd be awesome!"

"Look!" Carol said, pointing. "I think they're about to say!"

At the far end of the Pokemon Center, a large stage with a single microphone was set up, with a projection cast over the back wall. A man with a white coat walked up the steps to the stage and approached the microphone stand. Kyle expected it to be an employee, but he didn't recognize the man.

"Hello, everyone!" he spoke into the microphone. His voice boomed out from the speakers all around the building. The chatter died down immediately, and the trainers waited patiently for whatever he had to say next.

"Thank you all for coming!" He continued. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting nearly so many people to show up! I have been sent by the CPP to act as the head of this qualifier round. You will all compete against each other for one of the six slots we have available. Those who earn one of these slots will move on to the full tournament! So, do your very best today!"

Cheers erupted from the crowd from people and Pokemon alike.

"For this qualifier round, we have set up a simple system. You will all be competing in two-on-two team battles."

There were a few murmurs from around the crowd.

"Two-on-two?" Carol asked. "Couldn't someone just be carried by their teammate? Or drag down someone else?"

"We will not be deciding who wins based on victory, though we may take it into account, so don't be too worried about a poor teammate." the announcer said. "There will be multiple matches. You will be recorded through all of them. We will examine the footage and decide who among you are most deserving."

"Ah," Jordan said. "Okay. This is fine. I was worried I'd have someone like Noah on my team, holding me back."

"Hey!" Noah said. Hannah and Carol laughed. Jordan smirked playfully. Kyle and Adrien continued to listen intently.

"We will decide the teams based on random assignment," the announcer explained. "If you forgot to check in, please do so now." A few minutes passed as those who somehow missed the check-in lady went back to register.

"Alright. We will now randomize all those who are registered. These teams and matchups will be for the first round. There will be three rounds. And now, here they are! The first round! If you cannot see your trainer number, please speak to one of our employees."

The announcer stepped back as the projection changed, revealing a set of numbers paired together, along with an opposite pair for each set. Kyle eyes scanned the projection until he found himself. Number 1. He was paired with… number 4.

"Let's go!" Jordan shouted. He turned to Kyle. A tag displaying the number four was on his t-shirt. Kyle's face had already broken out into a grin. The two smacked their hands hard in a high-five.

Carol groaned. "I _cannot_ believe you guys got put together. I feel sorry for whatever poor team has to go up against you." She searched the matchups some more. She sighed. "I don't know who I'm with. I guess I'll need to go look for them."

"Who's number 43?" Hannah asked.

Noah looked up. "Me."

Hannah gasped in delight. "Really? Yay! We're a team, Noah!" She held out her hand to him, and he gladly gave her a high-five with a smile only a child could produce.

"What?" Carol exclaimed. "This can't be random. How did four of us end up in pairs?" She looked back at the projection. "Hey, Adrien, who are you with?"

Adrien was silently gazing at the projection, head tilted. "That's… interesting," he commented.

Everyone else looked at the projection. All the way in the corner, at the final possible point where a pair could be displayed, there was the number 3, with an empty space next to it.

"There must be an odd number of participants," Hannah said.

Other people were pointing this out, too, as they began to notice. The announcer caught sight of the complication after a moment and returned to the microphone.

"It seems we are just one short of what we needed today," he said with a small laugh. "I would ask you all to hang tight for just a small moment while we figure out what to do about-"

"No, it's alright," Adrien shouted loudly. The surrounding trainers looked in towards them. Adrien wasn't as shaken as he might've been a few years ago. He'd gotten much better at handling attention. Kyle was kind of proud of him for that.

The announcer stopped as he heard Adrien's voice. "Was that number 3?" A few people edged away from Kyle's group, and the announcer was able to pick him out. "What was that, number 3?"

"I said it's alright," Adrien said. "I can fight on my own. I can do it for all three rounds, actually, so no one else has to."

"But-" the announcer was having trouble speaking. "Wouldn't you rather have a teammate? I'm sure we can work something out…"

"I would just say yes, if I were you," Jordan shouted with a grin. "I doubt it'll cause him any inconvenience." His friends all nodded in agreement.

"I-" the announcer looked around at the employees for some assistance. To his surprise, they were all smiling and shaking their heads, motioning for him to let it be.

"Well then," the announcer said. "I suppose it might not matter if we have a team of one, since we are evaluating overall skill anyway. Good luck to you." He turned back to address everyone as a whole. "There you have it. As a reminder," he added, "Potions will be allowed in between each round, but are prohibited during matches. There will be no healing during a battle. That is all. Everyone, meet up with your teammate and report to your assigned area. Will will start the battles shortly afterward." With that, he left the stage, a perplexed look still etched onto his face.

"Hey," a voice said from behind them. They all turned to find a boy a little older and taller than the rest of them. A tag displaying the number 28 was stuck to the front of his shirt. He was looking at Adrien, and he looked annoyed. "You're number 3, right?"

"Yeah," Adrien said.

"I know what you're trying to do." He smirked as if he expected Adrien to retort somehow, but he simply waited silently for number 28 to continue. His smirk faded and he continued, "You're trying to seem cool in front of all these people. But nobody can take on two people at once. Don't act like that when you have no way to back it up."

Jordan snickered.

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Jordan said. "You just remind me of someone."

The stranger growled and turned back to Adrien, who was still staring calmly in return. He then let out a "hmph!" and turned away, disappearing into the crowd.

"Man, what's his problem?" Hannah wondered.

"Well, Kyle and I are at area 8," Jordan said. "We'll catch you guys later. Come on, Kyle."

They wished each other luck and parted. Kyle and Jordan headed to area 8. When they arrived, they found two more boys facing them on one side of a large rectangle. An employee apparently acting as referee of their match smiled as he recognized the two approaching boys and gave a friendly wave. Kyle and Jordan positioned themselves at the opposite end and waited. Soon enough, everyone in the building was where they were supposed to be.

Matches were starting. The referee called out to make sure the four boys were ready. Each of them released their Pokemon.

Eve leaped out from its Poke ball and landed gracefully on its feet. It had been a little out of it for a few days after the incident, but it was good for today, and they were both glad. Kyle didn't have to tell it what was happening other than that Jordan and Fireball would be fighting alongside them. It knew a battlefield when it saw one.

Fireball sprang from its captivity, hitting the ground hard and letting out a loud roar. Jordan smiled at the Infernape's eagerness and nodded to the referee, signaling that he was prepared. Kyle did likewise.

Their two opponents threw their Poke balls as well. Out of one came a Drednaw. The large, turtle-looking Pokemon raised its head and let out a cry of its own, though it didn't early approach the magnitude and ferocity of Fireball's. It shifted within its huge shell and bared its sharp teeth.

The other Poke ball produced a Galvantuala. The Elespider Pokemon skittered about, its yellow legs moving in a blur while it made a hissing sound. The two trainers signaled to the referee. Everyone was ready.

"Which one do you want?" Kyle asked. He assumed Jordan would take the Galvantula, since Drednaw was part Water-type. Galvantuala had no advantage over Infernape, not to mention it was part Bug-type, therefore weak against Fireball's Fire-type moves.

"I'll take the turtle. You can handle the spider," Jordan said.

"What?" Kyle asked. "But you'll have a disadvantage!"

"Drednaw's part Rock-type, isn't it? I can use fighting moves on him. Besides, I'm in the mood for a challenge."

Kyle sighed. Then he smiled. Of course Jordan would want a challenge. They readied themselves, waiting for the referee's call.

"Is that an Eevee?" The Galvantula owner asked.

"That thing hasn't even been evolved yet?" The other said. "What a joke!"

"What's that thing it's wearing supposed to be?"

"Actually, on second thought," Jordan said, hefting a bag he had been wearing. "I brought lunch for today, and I'm already kind of hungry. Do you mind if I eat for a bit? I'll join in if things get rough, I promise."

Kyle grinned. "Nah, that's fine. You go ahead and eat," he said Jordan smiled slyly.

"Start!" The referee called.

Jordan called over Fireball, and the two sat down while Jordan pulled out some food, and the two began eating.

"Hey, focus on the match, man!" One of the other boys shouted.

The referee looked at Jordan, sighed, and shook his head, but did not object in any way.

_A Drednaw is Water/Ground,_ Kyle thought, _and a Galvantula is Electric/Bug. _He grimaced. _Damn, there's no common type disadvantages. But… _He eyed the Drednaw. _I wonder how fast I can take that one down?_

_Dig! _He told Eve. _Go for the Drednaw!_

Eve looked back and tapped the ground lightly with its paw. Kyle sensed concern and resistance. He sighed. Right. The floors in the Pokemon center weren't suited for most ground-type moves. Even if he tried to use Dig, Eve might end up falling into the basement.

"'Ey," Jordan said. His voice was muffled by the sandwich he had stuffed into his mouth. 'ur 'esitating a bit. 'Aving trouble?"

"Shut up, I'm doing fine," Kyle reassured.

"Fine? Really?" One of the other boys asked incredulously. "You'd better hope your friend's going to help soon. We're gonna crush your Eevee."

_Oh? Is that right?_

Eve's hind legs glowed. It used one leg to smack the ground, propelling itself forward and into the air at Kyle's command. It flew towards Drednaw with unexpected speed. His opponents, both the trainers and the Pokemon, were caught off guard.

The Drednaw quickly retracted, using its shell to defend itself. Eve's other kick landed on the shell's surface. A shockwave crashed about at the impact. The Fighting-type move would deal twice the damage it normally dealt, but Drednaw's defense was tough to break past.

Eve pushed off Drednaw's shell and flipped back up into the air. Drednaw let its guard down, preparing to counter. Kyle grinned. Eve's entire body glowed brightly, and a moment later, it was Leafeon instead. Their opponent's jaws dropped.

"It evolved mid-attack?!" One of them shouted.

_Judgment._

Shots of green light rained down from above onto Drednaw. The Bite Pokemon let out a cry as it was pummeled over and over by the beams. Grass-type moves were four times as effective on Drednaw. This was sure to finish it off.

As Eve stuck out its feet to land, Galvantula shot out a white substance from its mouth. It stuck to where Eve was going to land right before it hit the ground. Eve landed in the Sticky Web. It tried to move away, but it couldn't lift its feet. Kyle cringed.

"Quite unfortunate," Jordan said in an overly formal voice. Fireball nodded in agreement. Kyle spared a glare for the two of them, but they continued to innocently eat their lunch.

Kyle turned back to the fight. Even worse than Eve becoming stuck, Drednaw wasn't finished yet. Though it was clearly on its last strings, it had withstood Eve's incredibly powerful attack. And it looked rather angry.

Galvantula was preparing another attack. It let out a thunderous buzz that rang through the air. The sound was horrible; Jordan and Fireball both stopped eating to cover their ears. Eve began to convulse where it stood, locked in place in Galvantula's Sticky Web. Pain ripped through Kyle as his bond with Eve connected the two of them. Galvantula was using Bug Buzz, a powerful Bug-type move that was very effective on a Grass-type like Leafeon.

"Why are _you_ acting like you're in pain?" One of the other boys asked Kyle, amused. "It's not like it actually hurts people."

_Switch! _

Eve switched to Flareon. The pain immediately dropped a considerable degree. Bug-type moves weren't as effective on Fire-types. Eve's tail flashed metallic, and it cut away the webs holding it down with Iron Tail. It then shot some more beams of light at Galvantula. These beams were red-orange, and they had a bit of heat to them. They pelted Galvantula and burned its legs.

Drednaw opened its mouth, and a blast of water came forwarth. Eve quickly stopped using Judgment and leapt to the side. Too close. Kyle grimaced. There didn't seem to be any advantageous form for Eve to use in this situation.

"This is taking a while," Jordan said. "You sure you're doing fine?"

"I'm winning, aren't I?" Kyle asked.

Jordan shrugged. "Are you? I dunno, man. I think you're gonna have to use a half-bond to win this one."

Kyle scoffed. "No way. I'd lose all my pride if I had to go as far as that against these guys."

Galvantula hissed again. An orb of electricity gradually grew in front of its mouth before it was fired off, crackling with energy. Eve quickly switched to Jolteon right before it took the full force of the Electro Ball. Their opponents' confident smiles faded a bit as Jolteon absorbed the electricity with its Volt Absorb ability. Kyle felt a little more refreshed as Eve recovered some of its strength.

"What kind of Eevee _is _that?!" One of them exclaimed. "Ref, he has to be cheating." But the referee, who knew full-well the capabilities of Kyle's special Eevee, refused to do anything about it.

Kyle ignored them, realizing that Jolteon's form was perfect. It could absorb Galvantula's attacks, and it could deal double damage to Drednaw with Electric attacks.

Eve became obscured as it tapped into its tremendous speed, covering the distance between it and Drednaw even faster than it had with Double Kick. It ran circles around the Water/Rock hybrid, disorienting it. Drednaw tried to attack blindly, but failed.

Eve lashed out with a set of Double Kick against Drednaw's side, then followed up with an Electric Judgment. Drednaw fell, but Galvantula came from behind, taking advantage of Eve's lowered defenses. It used Sucker Punch, jabbing it with its hairy, yellow leg. Eve was blown back. It rolled on the ground and picked itself up mid-roll, but Glavantula was already attacking again, and was right in front of Eve's face.

Out of nowhere, a figure cloaked in red-hot flames charged forward, slamming into Galvantula and sending it into its trainer, knocking them both down. Glavantula didn't get back up, and its trainer called for help as he desperately tried to shove his Pokemon off.

The fire from Flare Blitz subsided, and Fireball was revealed. Kyle groaned and turned towards Jordan, who was now standing next to him, brushing his hands, his bag carried on his back. Evidence of his prior meal was gone.

"Drednaw and Galvantula are both unable to battle! The winners are trainers 1 and 3!" the referee announced, smiling. "That is the end of this match. Trainers, please wait for the teams of the next round to be announced."

After removing the Galvantula from its position on top of the trainer, the two defeated participants grumbled as they returned their unconscious Pokemon to their Poke balls.

"So close," Jordan said. "You almost beat them before I got there."

Kyle grumbled and took a few potions out of his own bag to treat Eve's wounds. Jordan snickered.

Though he was a bit upset at the way they had ended up winning, with Jordan 'saving' him, the corner of Kyle's mouth twitched.

* * *

It was time for the second round. Carol had been teamed with someone else she didn't know, again, though this time, none of her other friends had, either. Kyle had come back a little upset, though they had won, and Jordan had been in even higher spirits than when they had separated. But Carol could easily tell they were both disappointed to have someone with less than what the other had to offer on their team.

Hannah and Noah had won their match as well. Hannah had been very impressed with Noah's skill as a trainer, and his strong Pokemon, Shine the Aggron. Carol had to admit, for someone who was barely twelve, Noah was remarkable when it came to knowledge of Pokemon. Not to mention, he definitely knew how to fight with his Aggron.

Carol was hardly surprised when Adrien reported his victory. Even going up against two opponents, Adrien and Chu made an unstoppable force. If Carol had to guess the one who would win the tournament out of anyone she knew, she would confidently choose Adrien. He was alone again this round, per his request. He would be on his own during the next round, too.

She arrived at her designated battling area and found the other three participants and the referee were already there, waiting for her. A boy, maybe a year or so younger than her, waited alone, across from two other people who had already released their Pokemon: A Swanna and a Shiftry.

"Hey!" Carol said to her teammate. "My name's Carol, how about-" She trailed off as she noticed the boy was rolling his eyes.

"You seem like my last teammate," he said disdainfully. "She was all happy and friendly, too, and we lost the match because of her. Her Pokemon wasn't worth anything in the fight." He looked her up and down. "I doubt you've been able to train anything good, so just stay out of my way for this fight, got it?" He tossed his Poke ball into the air, and out popped an elegant Ninetails, raising its head in a snobbish sort of way, similar to the way its trainer poised himself.

Carol raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Is that so?"

The boy ignored her.

Carol shrugged. "Alright. I guess I can just do this without you."

The boy scoffed. "Without me, I doubt you could do anything this round."

Carol smirked. "Let's see." She pressed the button on her Poke ball once to unlock it, then a second time to open it. In a flash of light, Scarf materialized on the floor in front of her in all of its glory. It could no longer comfortably wrap around her neck, like back when it was only a Dratini, but it was a small price to pray for the raw power it had obtained. Scarf flapped its small wings a few times and stretched its jaw.

Her teammate's eyes began to widen, but he quickly masked his surprise with another scoff, but made no further comment. Carol's smirk grew larger in triumph.

"Begin the match!" The referee called.

Scarf was off in an instant, guided by Carol's thoughts through the bond they shared. The Battle Bond wasn't something that had required much practice from either of them, only time spent with one another to deepen their understanding with each other. So far, Carol and Scarf could consistently pull off a Half-Bond, though they hadn't quite managed a Full-Bond. Still, Their bond was strong, and it gave the Dragonite even more power than it already had.

_Use Fly!_

A thin aura formed around Scarf's body, making it glow white. It glided just above the floor with tremendous speed, zooming towards its target. It slammed into Shiftry, dealing double damage against the Grass/Dark Hybrid. The energy coating Scarf wafted over Shiftry, pushing it back and knocking it over.

Her opponents - and her teammate - were appalled by Scarf's initiative and strength. It seemed that Shiftry was already tired after sustaining just one move. The Swanna's owner recovered first, ordering her Pokemon to attack with Ice Beam. The Swanna flew high and opened its beak as a ball of turquoise energy filled its mouth and released a bolt of power at Scarf.

Responding to Carol's warning, Scarf swiftly spun in the air to avoid the beam, letting it pass by to lay a coat of frost over the floor. The Dragonite opened its mouth, unleashing a Hyper Beam attack. The overwhelming, pure white light engulfed Swanna and took it out of the air. It fell in a heap, and a few long moments had passed before it had started getting up again.

Carol turned to her teammate, whose jaw was still touching the floor, with a kind smile. His two opponents were almost already defeated. They were struggling to stand after only one attack each. It wouldn't take much more for them to win.

"I wouldn't judge people so quickly from now on, if I were you," Carol said. "And I wouldn't blame anyone else for your own failures, either."

The boy gulped. "Uh, s-sure."

"Great. Now, let's finish them off."

* * *

Adrien might have the best chance of winning the whole tournament, as far as Carol was concerned, but that didn't mean _she _wasn't going to do her best to bring him down and end his streak, along with everyone else she came up against.

Adrien arrived at his area for the third and final round. He had won his past two matches with ease, and didn't foresee this next match going any differently. Chu eagerly awaited its upcoming unleashing from its Poke ball.

He found his opponents standing on the other side of the modest rectangle that was their battling area. The space they were being given here today was smaller than even the areas provided on a normal day for the Pokemon Center, but he and Chu did their best, though they were much more used to fighting on the large dirt field in the basement.

He recognized one of the participants he was being pitted against. It was the boy from earlier, the one who had come to talk trash after Adrien had declared he would fight solo: number 28. He was glaring daggers and seemed just as eager as Chu to fight. That was fine with Adrien. The more an opponent wished to fight, the more enjoyment he would likely receive from the battle. And so far, his past two battles today had been, well, disappointing. He hoped there were stronger trainers similar to Kyle, Jordan, and Carol awaiting his challenge at the main tournament.

"I'm glad we got matched against each other," number 28 said with a sinister sneer. "Now I can take you down myself."

Adrien remained silent and let his Poke ball fall to the ground. Chu emerged, smiling, with volts of pitch-black electricity frizzing around his tail and cheeks.

Number 28 narrowed his eyes at Chu's deviant, darker features. "What kind of Raichu is that?" He asked.

Adrien nestled his hands into his jacket pockets and leaned back on one foot. He didn't respond to Number 28's question, turning to the referee to confirm his preparation. The referee nodded and turned to his opponents. Number 28's teammate echoed Adrien, but number 28 held him back.

"Let me fight him," number 28 said, releasing a large, purple Nidoking. "One-on-one."

"What?" His teammate asked, puzzled. "Why? Shouldn't we work together?"

Number 28 shook his head. "Trust me, I won't need you. And I want to teach this guy a lesson."

His teammate sighed and waved for his Pokemon to retreat. "Fine, whatever."

The referee made certain number 28 was prepared and gave him a look of pity before starting the match, despite the serious type disadvantage Chu was at. Electric-type moves would have no effect whatsoever on Nidoking, so it would be difficult for anyone to think Adrien had any sort of chance at winning.

Nidoking plowed forward at it's owner's verbal command, its footsteps sending tremors through the floor to where Chu and Adrien stood. When it was halfway across the area, it leapt into the air. It spun mid-air, its diamond-hard horn pointed directly at Chu. Drill Run, a Ground-Type move. Of course.

Adrien sent whispers through his bond with Chu, directing it to the precise location where it would just avoid being hit. Chu swiftly sidestepped away. Nidoking crashed into the floor mere inches away from Chu's face, lodging its horn into the ground, sending flecks of polished stone every which way. The referee grumbled.

Nidoking's trainer cringed as his Pokemon pressed its appendages against the floor, trying to pull itself free. Chu's tail glowed an intense silver color, and it spun around before giving Nidoking a taste of the full force of its Iron Tail. Nidoking's horn was freed and the Pokemon itself was thrown back across the area to where it began.

Number 28 angrily scolded his Nidoking as it stood back up, growling and searching for its opponent. But it could not find the Raichu. It was gone, as if it had vanished into thin air. Its trainer was confused, too, as his eyes searched frantically for his opponent's Pokemon.

Then, seemingly out of thin air, Chu sprang forth, using Shadow Force and slamming into Nidoking's side, sending it sprawling. Knocked over once more, Nidoking was vulnerable. In a burst of speed, Chu unleashed multiple Iron Tails on Nidoking a span of only a few mere moments. All that could be noticed of their brief struggle was a fierce, black bolt of electricity, the pained wails of the unfortunate Nidoking, and several metallic flashes.

Then it was over. The flashes ceased, and Chu became visible to the human eye once more. Nidoking lay unconscious on the floor, defeated. Both number 28 and his teammate stared, wide-eyed, at the Pokemon that had been taken down in no more than one minute. The referee looked at 28's teammate, motioning for him to send his Pokemon forward. The trainer shook his head wildly, retracting his Pokemon and forfeiting the match.

Adrien sighed as he was declared the winner. He wished the other trainer had retained the courage to fight. Perhaps he should've taken it easier with the Nidoking. Maybe then he would have been willing to fight and possibly entertain him.

_**Do not concern yourself. The weak are not worth your time nor your effort.**_

* * *

Kyle refreshed the webpage on his phone again. He had lost count how many times he had done it already. He leaned over the screen as he sat on his bedside, scrolling through, then refreshing again when he didn;t find what he was diligently searching for.

A few days had passed since the qualifier round, plenty of time for the CPP to analyze everyone's performances. He had won all three of his matches, and he was confident with his performance in them. All of his other friends, including Hannah and Noah, had done likewise. Since then, he had checked the CPP's official tournament webpage, waiting for the confirmed participants to be announced.

Kyle's finger froze. There it was. A link had been posted. He tapped on it, bringing up another page. It listed everyone who had been accepted. He frantically scrolled through the alphabetized list, searching for his name. After a few seconds, there it was:

**Kyle T. Parker - Eevee (Eve) - Sale Woods**

Air rushed past his lips as he let out a satisfied sigh. He had made it. After a short while of searching some more, he found his friends' names, too. Adrien was there. So was Carol. Jordan, too. Hannah and Noah had also been accepted. They were the six who had been selected out of everyone who had attended the qualifiers in Sale Woods. Next to each of their names was the species name of their Pokemon, along with its nickname and their location.

Kyle leaned back in bed, eyeing his sleeping Eevee, and smiled. Off to the main tournament. The CPP was supposed to pay for his plane ticket. His mother deserved a vacation. And he was actually excited to let her watch how good her son and his Pokemon were.


	35. Auras

**Auras**

* * *

Three weeks had passed since the qualifier rounds. Somewhere near the beginning of those weeks, Kyle had been sent plane tickets to the location of the main tournament, as well as a room ticket for a hotel near the arena. Also included in the package was his own personal ID pass to be used at the tournament, along with one more item: a pass to the pre-tournament dinner party. All of his friends had received these four items as well.

Kyle was able to bring along his whole family: his mother and his sister. Chelsey was ecstatic that Kyle had made it into such a grand event, and was pleased that she would have the opportunity to watch him fight so many powerful trainers. His mother, although incredibly happy for him, acted aloof, as if it was no surprise to her that he had qualified.

Adrien's parents, as they were not able to obtain the time required to travel with their son to the tournament, had entrusted him to Kyle's mother. Emily had assured the two of them that she would look after him as best she could. Kyle had smiled, knowing full well that she meant those words with every fiber of her being.

Carol and Noah were being accompanied by their own mother. When the two of them had talked to Kyle at the airport on the day they were leaving, Noah had said their mother was there to "make sure nothing happened." Carol had rolled her eyes at this, and Kyle had let out a nervous chuckle.

After the events that had taken place at Team Dominion's hideout, Jordan's parents had nearly refused to let him go to the tournament. But after some extensive explanations on everyone else's part, as well as the intense assurance that trans-attacks were illegal and would not be used in this tournament, they let him participate, on the condition that both of them would come along to make certain nothing at all would go wrong. Jordan had been very expressive with his discontent at having both of his parents being so protective of him, especially at his age. The upside, at least, was that Hannah's parents couldn't come, either, so she would be looked after by Jordan's family for the duration of the tournament.

They had all met up at the airport and talked for a while before the flight, then realized that their flights were the same and seats were all next to each other, and so they all talked some more. After a few hours, they landed and left the airport, going to their hotels to realize that they were all staying at the same hotel and that all their rooms were also all next to each other. They all spent the night in their respective rooms, except for Kyle, who stayed in Adrien's room by order of his mother.

The following day, the kids left the hotel to explore the city. There was a lot to see, but most of it was uneventful until they reached the stadium they'd be fighting in. The tournament was using a large hockey arena for now, but the CPP had promised the construction of their own, specialized arena for events like this. Still, it was good enough for Kyle. They weren't allowed inside just yet, as preparations were still being made, but there was another time for that.

That night, they were all preparing themselves for the dinner party. The CPP had said that it would be interesting to give the participants the opportunity to get to know each other before the battles began, and perhaps make some friends or rivals. And, of course, to eat really good food.

The only problem Kyle had foreseen was the dress code. It was semi-formal, but there were a lot of ways to work around that. He hadn't liked the gleamed in his mother's eye when she had heard there was a dinner party.

Fortunately, it seemed he was being spared. His mother, though obviously when some disappointment, had let him bring a simple white button-down shirt with khakis. He didn't have any nice shoes, but he was sure not many would look down far enough to see his gray tennis shoes. He looked at himself in front of the mirror and fixed his hair.

Adrien was already dressed and ready to go. But was he? Kyle had to look closely to see that Adrien was wearing black slacks instead of black jeans now. His black running shoes had also been replaced with black dress shoes, and he wore a black button-down. All of this, of course, was topped off by his usual jacket, throwing away the entire point of the outfit.

"Staying true to yourself, huh?" Kyle remarked, eyebrow raised.

"I like this jacket."

After Chelsey and Emily voiced their approval for the two of them, they said their goodbyes and headed outside the hotel to wait for everyone else. Adrien released Chu from its poke ball, and Kyle followed suit. Trainers were encouraged to bring their Pokemon and have them outside of their capsules for the party.

The brown puppy-like Pokemon seemed to be making a joke as it looked Kyle up and down. Kyle could sense its amusement and sighed.

Eve wasn't wearing its harness of evolution stones. Kyle had removed it before leaving for tonight. He wouldn't be able to switch if he got into a battle, but that trait was his strongest weapon. Tonight, he would meet all the opponents he had the potential of facing within the next few days. He wasn't just going to reveal his hand like that.

The door to the hotel opened behind them. Kyle turned to see Carol and Noah walking towards them. Carol was wearing a simple, sleeveless blue dress with a skirt that stopped just below her knees. Kyle had never seen her wear any kind of dress until now. She was wearing a little more makeup than usual, which still wasn't that much, but her lips were a brighter shade of red. Kyle smiled, although he suddenly felt he was dressed much more modest than he should be, which was not a thought he had expected to come from himself.

Carol blushed and averted her eyes. "Mom wanted to help me for tonight," she muttered. "I swear, I'm never getting in one of these ever again after this."

Noah strutted along in his green, collared t-shirt, khakis, and brown dress shoes. His hair was swept to one side, and he gave a proud smile to all of them. They all complimented him on his look, and he beamed even more.

Carol glanced at Adrien's outfit, then at Kyle's shoes, opened her mouth, paused, then seemed to settle on, "You guys look really nice, too." Kyle rubbed his neck, and Adrien shoved his hands deeper into his jacket pockets.

In two bright flashes, Scarf and Shine were released. The massive Dragonite and Aggron towered over the rest of them. It wasn't uncommon to see people everywhere walking around with their Pokemon, especially here, but usually, the ones people brought around weren't this big.

The door to the hotel opened once more, and out stepped Jordan and Hannah. Kyle smirked and placed a hand under his chin. Carol hid a smile with her hand. Adrien coughed.

While the four of the ones already outside had been at least close to the border between formal and informal, Jordan's style dipped to the extreme side of the spectrum. He was wearing a full tuxedo, complete with a black blazer. But despite how well-groomed he looked, his expression was one of defeat.

"My parents were really excited about this," Jordan grumbled. "Now I know why."

"You look cool!" Noah exclaimed, eyes wide. Jordan glanced at him and raised his eyebrows, but Kyle noticed some life return to him.

"Hannah, you look incredible, too!" Carol said.

"Thanks!" Hannah said. "All of you guys look great."

Hannah was also on the formal side of the spectrum, with a long, red dress. Her hair looked the same as normal, and it was clear that a lot of effort had gone into applying her makeup. Looking at the two of them, it was pretty clear that they were a couple.

Jordan looked Adrien up and down.

"Why?" Jordan asked. Adrien sighed.

Once Jordan and Hannah had let their own Pokemon out of their containers, they were ready. Since only the participants had received invitations to the party, their parents nor Kyle's sister would be joining them. They headed towards a large building close to the arena, where the party would be taking place. They approached the entrance, where a doorman examined their IDs and invitations before letting them by.

They walked up a set of stairs and came into a hall where the dinner party was evidently taking place. The hall itself was huge; most of the guests appeared to have arrived already, yet there was still room for plenty more. Round tables covered in white tablecloths dotted the area, with tables filled with all sorts of food lining the walls. A stage was at the back, where a lone microphone waited patiently.

Trainers were already talking and eating. Some tournament employees and referees, as well as some professors from the CPP, were here as well, chatting with some of the participants. They were all more formal than semi-formal, which made Jordan more at ease.

As he surveyed the scene, Kyle remembered why he wasn't much of a fan of social gatherings. He could tell Carol and Adrien were thinking the same thing.

"Can I get some food?" Noah asked, looking toward the tables of food.

"Sure," Carol said, leading him towards the starting line. "You guys can go pick out a table, if you want," she said to everyone else.

"Actually, I'm kind of hungry too," Jordan said.

"Are either of you getting food?" Hannah asked Kyle and Adrien, who both shook their heads in response. "Then we'll go find a table."

The six of them split in half, three heading towards the plates and meals, the other searching for an empty table. They found one quickly and sat, waiting in silence for their friends to return. Kyle spent the time scanning the room for any notably strong Pokemon, and smirked a little as he noticed Adrien doing the same. They both had the same intentions in mind for this party: to find information on their opponents.

They were all either highschool or college students, hardly any real adults, and hardly any young children, either. Kyle figured that Noah was actually the youngest participant here. Their Pokemon were all relatively high in experience by the way their Pokemon were evolved. Kyle wondered if any of them were Champions.

"Hey, you have a shiny, too?"

Kyle turned his head toward the unfamiliar voice to find a boy around their age wearing khaki shorts and a collared shirt. His blonde hair was combed to the side just above his eyes. A pair of headphones hung around his neck. He was staring at Chu while taking brief glances at Adrien, who turned as well, eyebrows raised.

"What?" The Raichu trainer asked.

"You know," the boy said. "A shiny. Like what you have." He took a closer look at Chu, who peered back at him with its red eyes. "Then again, I've never seen a shiny Raichu like this before."

"Oh," Adrien said. "Yeah, it's pretty rare, I think." He spoke with some hesitation.

Next to the visitor, about a foot-and-a-half shorter than he was, stood a bipedal Pokemon with yellow fur and small spikes protruding from its chest and hands. It's face looked similar to that of a fox's. Black appendages that vibrated softly hung from the back of its head.

The discolored Lucario gazed at Kyle. The vibrations of its black appendages increased for a brief moment, and its trainers eyes dotted towards as he seemed to consider something. Then everything was normal again, but Kyle was left feeling odd. The unknown trainer continued the conversation like nothing had happened.

"Did you receive yours as a gift?" The trainer asked.

Adrien shook his head. "I caught it as a Pichu."

The trainer dropped his mouth open in awe. "Wow. That's impressive. I heard wild shinies are _really_ rare."

_Only Chu isn't shiny, _Kyle thought to himself.

Kyle had heard about shinies. Slight deviations in the genetic code of some Pokemon left them a different color than normal. They were incredibly difficult to find. And no Pokemon ever became shiny after it had already hatched. Adrien might've had a lack of knowledge about this subject, but Kyle doubted it. He was lying, for some reason. Kyle didn't feel like calling him out, but that didn't mean it wasn't peculiar.

"Did you get your Lucario as a gift?" Hannah asked.

The trainer nodded. "My aunt works for the CPP, and she managed to get it to me after it had barely hatched from its egg." He glanced between them all. "I'm Thomas, by the way." He gestured to his Lucario. "And this is Leo."

Kyle, Adrien, and Hannah took turns introducing themselves and their Pokemon.

"Are you guys all from the same area?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah!" Hannah said. "We all knew each other before the qualifiers. We're friends with the three others who were accepted, too. They're getting food right now."

"Wait," Thomas said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You're all friends?"

"Yeah." Hannah tilted her head at the look Thomas was now giving them. "Is that bad, or something?" She asked.

"You guys aren't feeders, are you?" Thomas asked suspiciously.

"Feeders?" Kyle asked.

Thomas ignored him. "What level are your Pokemon?"

"Uh, Eve is level 73," Kyle said.

"67," Hannah said.

"76," Adrien said.

Thomas raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty high. How long did it take for you to get there?"

"We've all owned our Pokemon since the first wave," Hannah said. "I got mine from the CPP, and these two caught theirs soon after. So about three years for each of us."

Thomas looked to Leo, who was taking turns staring at all of them. The black appendages were vibrating again. Kyle suddenly felt much more vulnerable as he remembered what Lucario were capable of. They could sense people's and Pokemons' aura, practically reading their thoughts.

"Leo trusts you," Thomas said, sitting next to Adrien at the table and pulling out a chair for his Lucario to sit as well. "Sorry about that."

"But, what are feeders, exactly?" Hannah asked. "And why do you think we're them?"

Thomas subtly pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "See the five trainers over there at that table near the center? One of them has a Tropius. Hard to miss."

Kyle leaned to the side to look past Thomas's head and quickly found the people he was talking about. The massive Tropius stood by them, its four leaf wings hanging at its sides and its long neck dipping down to eye level. The five participants were all young adults, easily over eighteen but probably not so far along into their twenties, if that.

"What about them?" Kyle asked.

"That Tropius is level 82," Thomas said.

Kyle's eyes widened. Hannah let out a small gasp. Even Adrien seemed a bit taken aback by this. And rightly so. Adrien had never lost a match, and he, like Kyle, had been battling trainers to gain experience since the very beginning. Kyle would've bet a lot that Chu had the most experience out of any Pokemon here.

"How?" Hannah asked. "How many battles has he fought?"

Thomas shook his head sadly. "It's not what you think," he said. "They didn't earn the experience by battling other trainers."

Hannah furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Those five were the others that qualified in my area," Thomas said. "They're all good friends with each other." He clenched his fist over the table. "They raised their level by taking turns letting each other attack their own Pokemon until it fainted. They would order their Pokemon not to fight back, taking the hits while the other Pokemon would earn free experience. They would let their Pokemon rest afterward, but once they were healed completely, they would do it again. That's what I mean by feeders. It's a really popular tactic, where I'm from. I'm surprised you don't know about it."

"That's awful!" Hannah said.

"But how do you know they were feeding each other?" Adrien asked. "Do you know them?"

"No, I don't," Thomas admitted. "But I can sense it. Leo can read their auras. I know what they did to get their level high enough to pass the qualifiers."

"I'm guessing nobody else stood a chance against them," Kyle said.

"Nope. They all dropped like flies." He lowered his voice. "I still don't understand how they can take all that pain when feeding each other," he muttered. "I mean, that has to hurt them, too, right?"

Kyle eyed him. Experiencing pain that your Pokemon experiences. That connection was part of the bond between humans and Pokemon. Could Thomas be a Champion? It wouldn't be surprising. After all, he'd managed to make it into the main tournament without using the same feeding method.

Carol, Jordan, and Noah returned, holding their plates of food. They held two plates each: one for themselves, and one with food for their Pokemon.

"Hey!" Carol said, smiling to Thomas. "Who's this?"

Introductions were made, and the seven of them passed the time by talking and eating and playing with their Pokemon. Thomas got along with everyone else nicely. Fireball and Leo appeared to get along especially well. Jordan said that Fireball was hoping to get a chance to fight Leo in the tournament, and Thomas said Leo thought the same thing.

Eventually, a thumping noise rang over the room. Their eyes were drawn towards the stage, where a man had stepped up to the microphone and was now tapping it to test it. Kyle perked up. He recognized him.

"Hello, everyone!" Professor Pine, the head of the CPP, said. "I'm glad to see you all here, and I hope you're having a good time so far. I think this tournament is going to be very interesting to watch."

Professor Pine made eye contact with Kyle, and his smile grew slightly wider before continuing to address the crowd of trainers.

"I know you've all been talking amongst yourselves to learn more about each other, but how about we do something else, too?" He spread his hands wide in front of him. "As you can see, we have this lovely space in front of the stage large enough for a battle. Would anyone like to show off what they have before the main tournament?"

Silence fell as each of the individuals in the crowd considered. Kyle sat back. He wasn't going to fight, and he knew it would take a while for someone to step up. He looked around and saw people trying to walk forward, but then being held back by their friends. Even Noah was stopped by Carol, who gave him a look that said, "Trust me, it'd be better if you didn't." Everyone was too worried about revealing their Pokemon's capabilities sooner than needed.

Jordan stood up and began walking towards the stage.

"What- Jordan!" Kyle said. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Jordan pointed to Thomas. "Let's go. In case we don't get the opportunity in the tournament, I want to fight now."

Thomas shifted in his seat. "I think Kyle's right. It's be best to play it safe and not-"

Jordan scoffed. "I don't care about that. I'll beat them all, regardless of what they might find out about me during this battle. Come on."

Thomas opened his mouth, likely to decline, but his Lucario had a different idea. It stood as well, staring at its trainer, who looked up at it and sighed.

"Fine," Thomas said, pushing himself off his chair and to his feet.

Jordan grinned and continued on with Thomas in tow.

"Should we go get a better view?" Hannah asked. The others nodded and stood up to follow their friends.

Pine smiled as he saw who was approaching. "It seems we have a pair of challengers! Everyone, please clear the space near the stage. Gentlemen, stand at the opposite ends of the fighting area."

"Who do you guys think is going to win?" Hannah asked as the trainers and Pokemon moved to their respective positions.

"Jordan," Noah said.

Carol turned to Kyle, Adrien, and Hannah. "Do we know anything about him or his Lucario?"

"He beat a lot of high-level Pokemon to get here," Kyle said. "Higher than even Chu's level."

"Wow, really?" Carol asked.

Kyle nodded. "And I think he's a Champion."

Carol raised her eyebrows, and Hannah's head turned sharply towards Kyle.

"I noticed it, too," Adrien said. "The way he could tell what his Lucario was thinking and how he talked about pain."

"But if all that is true, doesn't that mean this match is pretty even?" Hannah asked.

"Yeah," Kyle said. "I have no idea who's going to win this. But it's definitely going to be the best battle Jordan's had in awhile."

* * *

Pine stepped down from the stage, and a referee dressed in a suit came over and glanced between the two boys, checking to see if they were prepared.

Jordan figured he had this in the bag, though it might be a tough challenge. Thomas's Lucario didn't look _too _powerful for Fireball. Besides, with his bond with Fireball, there was no way he could end up losing.

The referee checked on Jordan, who said he was ready. Fireball huffed and punched its own palm. The flames rising from its head flared.

The referee turned to Thomas. Jordan paused. Thomas had grabbed the headphones around his neck and was sliding them up and over his ears. He began to twitch his finger to a tune. Amazingly, Leo was doing the same thing, perfectly in sync, though there were no headphones to be seen around its ears. Thomas gave a thumbs up to the confused referee.

* * *

"Is he wearing headphones?" Noah asked.

"Seems like it," Carol replied.

"Look," Adrien said, pointing. "Him and Leo are both moving their fingers. They're tapping out a beat."

"But it shouldn't be able to hear that…" Carol said. She paused. "Unless Leo could sense what Thomas was hearing through their bond."

"Yeah, my money's on the Lucario," another voice said.

They all turned to find Pine standing behind them, examining the curious pair. Kyle grinned, and the professor returned it.

"Is this the professor from the CPP Kyle talks to?" Hannah asked.

Carol nodded, smiling. "Yup. He was the reason we made it out of Team Dominion's hideout, too. Congratulations, by the way!" She said to Pine. "Is Lisa here too?"

Pine chuckled. "Thank you. And no, she isn't, unfortunately. She's busy, at the moment. I would've liked to stay and work with her, but I was required to be here to greet everyone." He sighed. "At least I got to see all of you again."

As the referee announced the start of the match, Fireball charged forward, hands and feet glowing white. Close Combat. It punched and kicked with tremendous speed, but Leo evaded each strike with ease, stepping backward as Fireball advanced. It moved perfectly, as if in a rhythm.

"Leo's fast!" Noah exclaimed.

Kyle looked at Pine. "Do you know anything about him?"

Pine nodded. "I watched all of the videos of the qualifier victors," he said. "You guys were incredible, by the way. Especially you, Adrien, fighting on your own like that and still managing to win." Adrien nodded humbly while Pine continued: "He was wearing those headphones during his matches at the qualifiers, too. It's pretty clear that their movements have to do with whatever it is that he's listening to."

"Do you think he's stronger than Jordan and Fireball?" Hannah asked.

Pine shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I could easily lose my bet on Lucario, but the match could definitely go the other direction, too."

* * *

Fireball attacked again and again, but couldn't land any hits at all. This Lucario was a master of evasion, moving as calmly and gracefully as a light breeze, yet faster than lightning. How was it that quick? It shouldn't be faster than an Infernape, much less Jordan's Infernape.

It didn't matter. Fireball wasn't getting tired at all. All he had to do was continue to attack, and eventually-

Fireball threw another kick, but this time, Leo didn't dodge it. Instead, he sidestepped and caught Fireball's leg. Its fist flashed metallic, and it pulled the Infernape closer to drive a punch into its stomach. Jordan felt a small pain in his gut and winced, placing a hand over his own stomach.

Fireball's body flew away and tumbled over the ground back towards its trainer. Jordan gaped. From the looks of it, that had been a Steel-type attack, which wouldn't be very effective on a Fire-type like Fireball. But Leo had appeared to grow stronger after landing that hit. Had the move it used raised its attack? Had that been Thomas's goal?

Fireball tried to rise to its feet, but Lucario dashed towards it so fast that Jordan lost sight of it for a moment. Jordan warned his Pokemon of the danger, but it was too late. Fireball was hit again, this time with a roundhouse kick, sending it staggering to the side.

_Acrobatics!_

Fireball's limbs glowed sky-blue as it readied itself for a follow-up attack from Leo. It came soon enough. Leo swiftly darted towards the Infernape, attempting to strike again, but Infernape spun out of the way and swept its opponent's legs out from underneath it. Acrobatics was a good choice when trying to counter an enemy, and it had worked well here.

With Lucario on the ground, Fireball had an opening. At Jordan's wish, it covered its body in fire, using Flare Blitz. It slammed its engulfed arms down on Lucario, cracking the floor. Jordan winced again as he felt the self-harming effects of Flare Blitz. He was sweating through his tuxedo. But at least he had-

Leo hadn't been on the floor when Fireball had struck. It had propelled itself out of the way and to its feet just before Flare Blitz would have connected. Fireball had damaged itself for nothing.

Leo rushed forward in a blur again. Fireball had no time to dodge. It was hit up into the air by Leo, leaving it vulnerable. Leo placed its hands together and spread them apart slowly. A ball of intense blue energy formed between its palms before it fired it into the air. It hit Fireball mid-air, making Jordan cringe in pain.

Fireball began falling to the floor, where Leo stood with one foot back, waiting to kick it as it landed. Jordan could tell that one more hit against Fireball would end the fight.

_Be ready to catch its attack! _Jordan told his Pokemon. He sensed a fierce acknowledgment. Fireball didn't wish to be pushed around any longer.

Leo bent its knees as Fireball approached the floor.

_Now!_

Fireball put up its hands to catch Leo's kick, but the Lucario didn't follow through. Instead, it leapt into the air while Fireball hit the ground and prepared another Aura Sphere. It fired it down. Fireball jumped to its feet and tried to get away, but the Aura Sphere followed it, refusing to miss. The attack hit Fireball square in the back.

* * *

The party over people filed out of the building. Most people, namely the ones whose Pokemon were huge, had returned their Pokemon to their poke balls. Eve walked beside Kyle as he and his friends left.

After the first battle, only a few more had taken place before it had become late. The first battles were tomorrow, and everyone needed sleep. They had all said their goodbyes to Pine and left to head back to their hotel.

Jordan was still grumbling at his loss while Thomas was avoiding making eye contact with him. Jordan had swore that if the two of them met in the tournament, Thomas and Leo would receive a beatdown like no other. It had been a long time since Jordan and Fireball had lost to anyone other than Kyle, Adrien, or Carol.

"Why do you wear those headphones, anyway?" Hannah asked. "Do you use music to fight?"

Thomas shrugged. "Sorta. By using a rhythm with our attacks, it's easier to connect combos. It's also good for confusing the opponent with fakeouts and all that. There's more to it, but don't expect me to give all my secrets away. I still have a tournament to win."

Soon, Thomas had to split off from the rest of them, since he was staying at a different hotel. Everyone bagen saying their goodbyes, but then Thomas spoke up.

"Could I talk to you for a second?" He asked Kyle. "There was something I wanted to ask."

Kyle caught his intention in his expression. "Go ahead, guys," he said. "I'll catch up in a sec." When they were alone, Kyle asked Thomas, "What did you need?"

Thomas narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be one of the Justice Champions, would you?"

Kyle froze. How had he known? He opened his mouth to speak, but Thomas stopped him.

"I'll take that response as a yes," he said.

"How did you figure it out?" Kyle asked.

"It was a bit of a guess, but Leo found something when he looked at you that made me wonder."

"What did he see?"

Thomas looked over Kyle's shoulder to the back of his friends, who were walking away. "It's weird. Usually, Leo sees the same thing in most people, although there are some deviations due to personality or their past. But you and your friend were some of the strangest people it's ever seen."

"How so?"

"You have a strange aura that gives off a weird feeling. It's hard to describe, but it was the same thing I felt during the first Arceus." He looked back to Kyle. "And, well, there were two of them near Team Dominion's hideout, right? I figured you might have been involved."

_Leo must've sensed Arceus's power in Eve, _Kyle thought.

"Well," Kyle admitted. "I wasn't exactly the one who had caused it, but I was involved."

"I don't even know how to ask this," Thomas said. "But, well, what are you?"

"That's hard to explain, too." Kyle said. "I'm not even sure if I can give you a good answer. But I didn't cause the Arceus. And I'm just a regular guy, like you. I'm not some kind of god." He eyed Thomas. "So? Was that all?"

"Not exactly. I'm saying this to you since Leo knows you're powerful and trustworthy. He believes in what he saw in you and your Eevee. Which is why I'm telling you this."

"What is it?"

"Your friend Adrien. What is he?"

Kyle tilted his head. "What do you mean. Do you mean 'was he one of the Justice Champions too?'"

Thomas shook his head. "I'm pretty sure he was. What I mean is like what I asked you. Is he human? Is there something wrong with him?"

"I don't understand," Kyle said. "What did Leo see in him?"

Thomas looked straight ahead. His eyes now had a far-out look to them.

"It was horrible," he said. "Like nothing Leo or I could ever imagine. If your aura was like light or life, Adrien's was definitely the opposite. His Raichu, it isn't shiny, is it?"

"No," Kyle said. His spine was growing cold. Was this what Arceus had warned him about?

"Leo also found something else," Thomas said. "A word: Giratina. Does it mean anything to you?"

Kyle had no idea what the word could mean. He shook his head.

"Well, that's all," Thomas said. "Thanks for letting me ask. I'll see you tomorrow."

Thomas turned to leave, leaving Kyle and Eve standing alone on the sidewalk in the warm night. Kyle looked at Eve and into its worried green eyes. A pit was forming in his stomach, and Eve was experiencing the same feeling.


End file.
